Spending on home entertainment sales and rentals fell 4.8% from the year-earlier period, to $10 billion, in the first half of 2007, with video rentals down 3.3% (totaling $3.8 billion) and sales - of all formats, aggregated - down 6.5%, to $6.2 billion, according to Video Business (VB) research.

The cumulative box-office of DVDs released in the first half was down 5%, and there were fewer releases with a box-office topping $100 million, in the first half; however, box-office on summer releases due on DVD in the second half is already up 5% over last year, VB writes.

According to Video Business’s data:

• Fox, Sony, Paramount Home Entertainment and Lionsgate gained market share:
  • Fox climbed to No. 2, with a 17% share.
  • Sony, with the biggest share of rentals during the period and a 40% increase in catalog sales, was No. 3 with a 15.7% share.
  • Paramount’s share increased to 11.9%.
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment market shares decreased.
• Industry-wide catalog sales were down 5%, but Paramount, Sony, Fox and Lionsgate all reported gains.
• Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD sales, meanwhile, overtook VHS.
• Sliding DVD sales are putting more pressure on studios to develop the high-def market in the fourth quarter.

Top 20 rentals in 1H07: