Why DVD Sales Are Declining, Essay Example

The author will examine the causes of declining DVD sales worldwide and try to explain the relationship between the cause and effect in the process. The main thesis to be proved by the below research and argument is that the reason for the declining sales of DVD-s are the advancement of media technology, green initiatives, consumers’ preference of convenience, and the spread of online piracy. The author will below examine all the possible causes and their effects on DVD sales to prove the connection.

Technological innovations

DVD-s were for a while innovative ways of storing movies and data, compared to VHS tapes they replaced. Indeed, they took up much less space, lasted longer, and were able to store more. They were also compatible with computer DVD-drives. However, a DVD collection still took up a significant amount of space in a family’s living room. DVD-s could get scratched, damaged, bent, or broken. With the development of computing, larger hard drives became common, and external hard drives were also created to store large amount of information. Even though people were only able to watch movies on their computer for a while, technology developed a system to connect a TV to a computer as a projector, and people could eliminate CD-s and DVD-s, freeing up space and making sure that movies are stored safely. Today, people are able to buy instant streaming channels, buy on-demand shows to watch on their television from their cable network. Netflix, one of the mos popular instant streaming online movie companies, now works with Smart and internet-enabled televisions, so there is no need for buyinig DVD-s any more. Similarly, Amazon and Google Play offer full movies for the fraction of the DVD cost. The Wall Street Journal (Fritz, 2014) reported that while digital movie sales increased by 47 percent in the year of 2013, while DVD sales continue to decline. The report also states that “physical media sales—a category that includes both DVDs and high-definition Blu-ray discs—dropped 8% to $7.78 billion” (Fritz).

Green initiatives – consumerism

One of the aspects of not buying and producing that many DVD-s today is that waste is reduced. Previously, people collected DVD-s for a while, then realized that they would not watch them again, so they either sold them at a second hand shop, backyard sale, online, or put them in the bin. The environmental impact of used DVD-s has not been fully uncovered yet, but it is surely significant. Today, when people are no longer interested in a movie or have already watched it, simply delete it from the hard drive or back it up in a cloud storage or external drive. Several consumers realized that watching movies online and on-demand is not only a more economic solution, but also an environmentally friendly one, as well. Consumers could not only reduce their entertainment budget, but free up space and decrease the family’ carbon footprint at the same time.

Online piracy

Unfortunately, online piracy is always a step ahead of prosecutors. With the high level of worldwide connectivity to the internet, people are discovering that most of the movies are available to watch online. Even though this is not a legal way of replacing DVD-s, it is a common approach. Companies go behind copyright owners’ back and put full movies, series on their servers available for anybody to watch. This also reduces the number of people who are willing to pay 10-20 dollars for a DVD that they would possibly only watch once. Today, there are several new movies available on popular sites; even YouTube. While companies and law enforcement agencies are working hard on eliminating piracy, it is an impossible task. While online piracy is an illegal solution, it has several benefits compared to DVD-s, such as instant availability, lack of commitment.

Convenience

Today’s consumer – due to the impact of internet communication and fast information technology – is looking for instant satisfaction. By using Netflix and purchasing online access to movies and series, they are able to watch what they want instantly, without the need of visiting a shop or ordering a physical DVD or Blu-Ray disc, and waiting for it to arrive. The cost is lower, and shopping for online movies is much more convenient. While a physical media store might have limited stock and some titles would be missing, this is not the case when consumers search for online movies. On the other hand, the advanced technology some online movie companies use feature films that match the user’s taste profile, which makes decision about the purchase much easier. This is a task that an in-store sales assistant would never be able to complete, unless they knew everything about every single customer that walked in.

Conclusion

The above review of cause-effect relationship among social trends, technological innovations, and the decline of DVD sales has resulted in the conclusion that indeed, there are four different reasons for the trend, outlined in the introduction of the paper. Therefore, it is proven that online piracy, the development of new, more convenient ways of watching movies (due to technological innovations), as well as consumers’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and free up space in their homes were responsible for the decline of DVD sales.

Works Cited

Fritz, B.  “Sales of digital movies surge” The Wall Street Journal. January 7, 2014. Web.