Providing Market Intelligence for 40 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

Netflix saw subscribers drop post-lockdown. But Disney+ might not face the same fate

Like all streaming services, Disney+ saw strong growth during the pandemic but competitor Netflix reported losing subscribers last quarter. But Disney+ is cheaper than Netflix – an increasingly import...

Apple’s HomePod Has Arrived. Don’t Rush to Buy It.

Apple also provided statistics on smart speaker usage from the research firm Parks Associates. That report also found that playing music and getting the weather were the top uses of smart speakers, wh...

The streaming wars are flooding us with TV

Password sharing cost streaming companies about $9.1 billion last year, according to data from the research firm Parks Associates. From the article "The streaming wars are flooding us with TV".

To Invade Homes, Tech Is Trying to Get in Your Kitchen

Yet the so-called smart kitchen remains a tough sell. With the kitchen often a hub for families and friends, habits there can be hard to change. And many people see the kitchen and mealtimes as a have...