Thriving and dynamic are not adjectives usually associated with 3D, nor is the phrase clear and discernible growth, but these have been employed in a round-up of 3D services by IHS.
In its analysis, the information and analytics provider says the global 3D consumer market is growing across major platforms, including cinema, home video and pay-TV, and video-on-demand (VOD).
While the benefits of 3D in the cinema world have been known for some time, IHS calculates in its Cross Platform 3DMovies Market Monitor that the number of 3D screens is up fourfold over a period of three years, while 3D box office climbed in the double digits from 2010 to 2011.
Yet despite the welter of unconfirmed hype and disappointment for 3DTV, IHS believes that the 3D home video market is also showing strong growth, bucking the overall trend of a declining physical video market, with US spending on Blu-ray 3D said to have nearly doubled in 2012 from last year’s levels.
The analyst notes that worldwide there are more 3D TV channels available, including one just launched in China. In particular, it asserts that there is plenty of potential for expansion in the years ahead for a 3D VOD service. Altogether, IHS calculates that there are a total of 37 unique dedicated 3D channels have been launched worldwide since 2010, plus another 38 dedicated 3D event broadcasts. It noted positive developments on programming, such as the formation of 3Net, a joint venture among Sony, Imax and Discovery to focus on 3D output.
Nonetheless, the analyst cautioned that 3DTV launches slowed considerably in 2012, due to uncertainty about investing in, and maintaining, dedicated linear 3D channels. Furthermore it warned that the overall limited slate as well as the higher price of 3D VOD films — as much as 30% premium — may discourage some consumers from adopting the service in the short term.
