September turned into yet another soft month for direct-view color TV sales, but also produced all-time monthly highs for TV/VCR, projection TV, VCR deck and camcorder sales to dealers, according to EIA figures. Those strong performances produced new third-quarter sales records for TV/VCRs, projection and camcorders.
Also in September the industry passed two sales milestones, as cumulative sales of direct-view color TVs (excluding TV/VCRs) topped 400 million, and the cumulative camcorder sales total passed 25 million. Additionally, the month closed with the biggest selling weeks in history for projection and camcorders (see Video Sales Scorecard on page 19).
Sales of direct-view color, excluding TV/VCR, declined for the sixth consecutive month in September. Their 9% drop to 2.81 million left the third-quarter total at 6.14 million, off 11.6%, and nine-month sales off 6.1% to 16.1 million.
September color sales were at an indicated seasonally adjusted annual rate of just 22.5 million, down from the 23.3 million of August. The third-quarter rate of 23.2 million essentially matched the rate for the first half and the first nine months.
The 18.1% rise to 297,500 in September sales of TV/VCRs just topped the previous monthly record set in November 1993 and helped the third quarter to a 15.3% rise to 602,600. Nine-month sales of 1.52 million were up 8.3%.
The annualized September selling rate for both September and the quarter came in at 2.4 million, both modest improvements from August and the first half. The rate on the year-to-date was 2.3 million.
The month’s projection TV sales of 96,700 were up 8.7% from the former monthly sales record of 88,900 set in September last year. Sales for the quarter were up 22.8% to 212,100, and for nine-months were up 6.3% to 513,000.
Despite the record volume, September’s annualized projection selling rate was just 622,000, a low for this year and well down from August’s 860,700 rate. The quarter’s rate of 763,000 was markedly under the 825,100 first-half rate and left the full-period rate at 798,700.
VCR sales in September squeaked up 0.2% to 1.75 million but still came in at 4,000 above the all-time monthly high set in the same month last year. And while the nine-month sales total was up 3.1% to 9.26 million, third-quarter sales of 3.66 million were off 4.1%.
September sales were at a strong 13.7 million annual rate, up from August’s 13.2 million. The 13.5 million annual selling rate for the third quarter was off slightly from that of the first half but matched the nine-month rate.
September camcorder sales jumped 23.5% to 452,400 and eclipsed the former all-time monthly high of 413,600 set in December 1990. That surge lifted sales for the third quarter to 969,100, up 13.5%, and put the nine-month total at 2.5 million, up 11.4%.
The September annualized selling rate for camcorders was a strong 3.69 million, up from the 3.4 million of August. The rate for the quarter of 3.6 million was about equal to that for the full nine months but off from the 3.7 million rate of the first half.
Laserdisc player sales suffered their fifth double-digit percentage decline in six months, falling 16.7% in September to 27,100. Third-quarter sales of 56,200 were down 22.6%, and the total through the year’s first nine months of 186,500 was off 7.6%.◊[text]cumulative camcorder sales total passed 25 million. Additionally, the month closed with the biggest selling weeks in history for projection and camcorders.
Sales of direct-view color, excluding TV/VCR, declined for the sixth consecutive month in September. Their 9% drop to 2.81 million left the third-quarter total at 6.14 million, off 11.6%, and nine-month sales off 6.1% to 16.1 million.
September color sales were at an indicated seasonally adjusted annual rate of just 22.5 million, down from the 23.3 million of August. The third-quarter rate of 23.2 million essentially matched the rate for the first half and the first nine months.
The 18.1% rise to 297,500 in September sales of TV/VCRs just topped the previous monthly record set in November 1993 and helped the third quarter to a 15.3% rise to 602,600. Nine-month sales of 1.52 million were up 8.3%.
The annualized September selling rate for both September and the quarter came in at 2.4 million, both modest improvements from August and the first half. The rate on the year-to-date was 2.3 million.
The month’s projection TV sales of 96,700 were up 8.7% from the former monthly sales record of 88,900 set in September last year. Sales for the quarter were up 22.8% to 212,100, and for nine months were up 6.3% to 513,000.
Despite the record volume, September’s annualized projection selling rate was just 622,000, a low for this year and well down from August’s 860,700 rate. The quarter’s rate of 763,000 was markedly under the 825,100 first-half rate and left the full-period rate at 798,700.
VCR sales in September squeaked up 0.2% to 1.75 million but still came in at 4,000 above the all-time monthly high set in the same month last year. And while the nine-month sales total was up 3.1% to 9.26 million, third-quarter sales of 3.66 million were off 4.1%.
September sales were at a strong 13.7 million annual rate, up from August’s 13.2 million. The 13.5 million annual selling rate for the third quarter was off slightly from that of the first half but matched the nine-month rate.
September camcorder sales jumped 23.5% to 452,400 and eclipsed the former all-time monthly high of 413,600 set in December 1990. That surge lifted sales for the third quarter to 969,100, up 13.5%, and put the nine-month total at 2.5 million, up 11.4%.
The September annualized selling rate for camcorders was a strong 3.69 million, up from the 3.4 million of August. The rate for the quarter of 3.6 million was about equal to that for the full nine months but off from the 3.7 million rate of the first half.
Laserdisc player sales suffered their fifth double-digit percentage decline in six months, falling 16.7% in September to 27,100. Third-quarter sales of 56,200 were down 22.6%, and the total through the year’s first nine months of 186,500 was off 7.6%.
