Through June 2006 the DVD business increased unit volume sales by 4% over the first half of 2005; but that’s half the rate of growth that NPD saw in 2005. One of the key reasons DVDs have not slid even further is the continued health of TV programming purchased on DVD. NPD also noted significant growth in the online rental or purchase of digital TV content from Web retailers like Apple iTunes, MovieFlix and CinemaNow.
Overall TV-DVD accounted for 9% of home video sales in June, up from 7% the year prior. The strongest growth for the TV-DVD category came from sales of one-hour TV dramas, such as Desperate Housewives, Lost and 24, which increased 48% year over year. The adult-animation category, which includes The Family Guy and The Simpsons, rose 36%, while sales of science fiction titles increased 34% and half-hour comedies grew 7%.