Rentrak: On-line Video Sales Are Up
here said Internet revenues for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1998, increased to about 7% of total revenues, up from about 1.3% of total revenues in the same quarter last year.
Rentrak operates three Web services: ComAlliance, at comalliance.com, which offers fulfillment services for other companies' orders; Blowout Video (not related to the company that operates leased-space video departments), at blowoutvideo.com, which sells videos to consumers; and Formovies.com, which creates and manages Web sites for retailer subscribers.
"We focused three of our company's business groups on Internet development efforts in 1997, and I am very pleased that all three have been launched successfully," said Ron Berger, chairman and chief executive officer of Rentrak. "ComAlliance has developed an expertise in serving as the logistics and fulfillment backbone of some of the most popular Internet retailers. Blowout Video is competing head to head with Internet-based video retailers such as Amazon.com and Reel.com and is growing nicely. And our Formovies.com Web-site-services group has grown to service nearly 2,000 video retailers.
On-Line Retailer Offers DVD Rentals
SAN FRANCISCO -- DVD Wave here has opened a rental area on its Web site, dvdwave.com. Customers can rent two movies for seven days at $4 each, with additional titles at $3 each. The company ships on the same day orders are received; U.S. customers get their DVDs in two to three days.
"DVD rental is a continuation of DVD Wave's strong commitment to its customers," said Sam Osborn, president. "Customers can now easily view a movie before deciding to purchase it." Initially the company will offer hundreds of DVDs for rental, and eventually it will have nearly every available DVD title, he said.
Top 10 Supermarket Video Rental Titles
Last
Rank Wk Title (Wks Out)
The Truman Show (1)
1 N Paramount $107.37
Lethal Weapon 4 (5)
2 1 Warner $107.37
Out of Sight (2)
3 2 Universal $107.37
Blade (4)
4 3 New Line $107.37
How Stella Got Her
Groove Back (2)
5 5 Fox $104.16
Six Days, Seven Nights (6)
6 6 Buena Vists $107.37
The Mask of Zorro (7)
7 7 Columbia TriStar $22.95
The Negotiator (8)
8 8 Warner $107.37
Halloween H20 (5)
9 9 Buena Vista $107.37
Dr. Dolittle (8)
10 4 Fox $19.98
N=New Week ended JAN. 17
This chart, tailored for the supermarket video market, is based on information taken from more than 1,000 supermarket rental locations serviced by Ingram Entertainment, La Vergne, Tenn.
