Consumers spent $24 billion buying and renting DVD and VHS titles in 2004, more than twice as much as they did buying tickets at movie theater box offices, according to the Video Software Dealers Association's (VSDA) 2005 Annual Report. The major studios generated $21 billion from home video in 2004, representing 47 percent of their combined worldwide film revenues. Estimates of consumer spending on used DVDs and videocassettes for 2004 ranged from $658 million to $2 billion. The VSDA said that 73 percent of U.S. households had the capacity to view a DVD by the end of 2004, while VCR penetration declined for the first time during the period. The group also said that 2004 video game rentals totaled $700 million, adding that 53 percent of all games rented were rated "E" (Everyone). Mass merchants had a 50 percent market share of sell-through consumer spending on home video. The top three rental chains (Blockbuster, Hollywood, and Movie Gallery) collected more than 50 percent of consumer dollars spent on video rental transactions. Video-on-demand was available in approximately 22 million U.S. households. Digital video recorders were in fewer than 7 million U.S. households.
The most consequential infrastructure decision an electric utility executive will make this decade has nothing to do with poles, wires, or substations; it's a software decision. The global power grid is undergoing a transformation so fundamental to future economic growth. It's become a total re-imagining of energy generation and optimal delivery. From a predictable, one-way system built around centralized generation, to a dynamic, bidirectional network that must simultaneously balance millions of decentralized inputs, while bracing for the twin pressures of climate volatility and surging demand. For C-suite leaders across energy, technology, and finance, this shift is no longer a horizon event. It is the operational reality of today, and the strategic battleground of the next decade. Grid Intelligence Market Development According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the core Grid Management software market is projected to reach $77.2 billion by 2035. That figure is a pro...