KATZENBERG: PLUNGE IN DVD SALES TO CONTINUE

DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg says that he expects the downturn in sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs is likely to continue. Speaking at the Jefferies & Co. Global Internet, Media and Telecom Conference in New York, Katzenberg said that the falloff in DVD sales represents a “systemic” change in the film industry, although, he said, DreamWorks Animation is not as vulnerable to it as most others. His company’s DVDs, he said, “are much more analogous to a toy purchase” But while kids may play DWA’s discs until they’re virtually worn out, adults do not. Given the current economy, he observed, “$20 is something you think about. Twenty dollars for a DVD you will watch once or twice? … The overall movie world is having to deal with the change in consumer habits.” Separately, in an interview with Reuters, Katzenberg said that there has been no indication that moviegoers are beginning to balk at ticket prices at theaters for 3D movies. “It’s been just the opposite,” he said. “People have been very excited about the 3-D experience,” he added.