Global 3D Market is On the Rise

EL SEGUNDO: The global 3D consumer market is flourishing across cinema, home video and pay-TV VOD platforms, according to an IHS Screen Digest Cross Platform Intelligence report.

There are a total of 37 unique 3D channels that have been launched globally since 2010, and another 38 dedicated 3D event broadcasts. However, the 3D TV launches have slowed considerably this year, due to uncertainty about investing in and maintaining dedicated linear 3D channels. There have been many positive developments on the programming front though to help combat this, including the creation of 3net Studios, a JV from Sony, IMAX and Discovery focusing on documentaries and other niche genres. A number of pay-TV operators are also providing 3D movies on an on-demand basis. U.S. consumers are expected to spend $76.1 million for 3D VOD by 2016, up from the $11.1 million brought in this year. European viewers are forecast to spend $32.4 million, compared to just $3.5 million during the same period.

The number of 3D screens is up fourfold over a three-year period. At the end of 2009, there were around 9,000 screens, and by the third quarter of this year that number rose to 43,000. The U.S. is leading this growth, followed by China, France, the U.K. and Germany.

The 3D box office soared into the double digits from 2010 to 2011. Global 3D box-office revenue hit $7 billion in 2011, up 16 percent from the $6 billion reported in 2012. 3D accounted for 22 percent of the total world box-office intake in 2011; the prior year it was 19 percent.

The 3D home-video market is bucking the overall trend of a declining physical video market; U.S. spending on Blu-ray 3D nearly doubled in 2012 from the prior year’s levels. The U.S. continues to make up the largest market for Blu-ray 3D, accounting for around 51 percent of the global Blu-ray 3D spending. Growth is also forecast for this segment in the U.K., Germany and France.

“In an age where consumers have at their easy disposal a virtual treasure trove of entertainment options to draw from, the encouraging growth of the 3D medium is remarkable to behold,” said Tony Gunnarsson, analyst for video at IHS Screen Digest. “The continuing expansion of the industry is especially significant when one considers that 3D is but a small niche of overall digital viewing, and that consumers have to shell out considerably more money for 3D products, which are priced at a premium and not necessarily an easy sell in these economically uncertain times.”