In Hollywood’s New Year, Edward Jay Epstein provides his predictions for 2006:
Before the invasion of television, the big screen (aka movie theaters) provided 100 percent of the studios’ revenues. Now it accounts for less than 15 percent. The small screen — which includes computers, portable DVD players, and iPods as well as televisions — provides 85.6 percent.
According to Epstein, “the further migration of Hollywood into home entertainment will be greatly accelerated in 2006 by the following five events”:
- The success of Google’s Wi-Fi experiment in San Francisco.
- The further collapse of the video window.
- The proliferation of digital video recorders.
- The Blu-Ray DVD.
- The mandated digital conversion of television.