Online Movie Views to Surpass DVD and Blu-ray This Year

Fueled by all-you-can-view subscription services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, a recent IHS Screen Digest report, forecasts that, in 2012, Americans will watch 3.4 billion movies online.  This is 1 billion higher than predicted number of movies played using physical media like DVDs and Blu-ray discs.  Just last year, the order was reversed at 2.6 billion physical videos and 1.4 billion online viewings.  They also point out a corresponding change in movie consumption trending toward a more TV-like "sampling and snacking" behavior.  This is not surprising, given similarities to recent rapid changes in music consumption format.