Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Walmart Posts Healthy Second-Quarter 2019 Financials

The nation’s largest retailer continues to lead in DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales, devoting significant retail space to the category, including point-of-purchase displays and ubiquitous dump bins.

“We still sell a lot of DVDs at Walmart,” Thomas Hughes, EVP of worldwide TV & digital distribution at Lionsgate, told attendees Dec. 11 at the Parks Associates’ “Future of Video” confab in Marina del Rey, Calif. “We’re on the coasts, so we don’t see it. But other people still buy DVDs.”

On an Aug. 15 earnings call with analysts to discuss the latest financial results, Greg Foran, Walmart US president and CEO, said, “We saw a strong growth in grocery … and general merchandise comps. They were up despite softness from some of weather-sensitive categories like lawn and garden and apparel. We’re really pleased with market share gains across grocery and general merchandise.” The general merchandise category includes DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.

From the article "Walmart Posts Healthy Second-Quarter 2019 Financials" by Thomas Arnold.

Previously In The News

Ford and AT&T Hook Up For Free Connected Car Service

Consumers are intrigued but have expressed worries about security and privacy in connected cars and regulators are already on the case. Over half of those surveyed by Parks Associates last year said t...

The Time To Cut The Cord And Switch To Streaming TV Is Now

ESPN will also be coming to Sony’s PlayStation Vue service, available in select markets. Sony’s streaming offering looks more like a traditional cable bundle in that its basic package runs $49.99 and...

HBO Is Replacing Its Cable TV Option In Spain With A New Streaming Service

The initiative is an ambitious play, but it makes sense. Spain has lower cable subscriber rates than the US and a large amount of online piracy. So HBO is sacrificing its licensing revenue to appeal t...

FCC Plan Would Give Consumer Control Of Set-top Box

And cable industry analyst Brett Sappington, of Parks Associates in Dallas, said that companies like Tivo already offer third-party cable set-top boxes, but few consumers purchase them. “Many don’t...