The bar chart illustrates the yearly volume of film rentals and purchases between 2002 and 2011, with sales divided into VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray formats.
Overall, it is evident that the demand for rentals declined steadily throughout the period. In comparison, purchases shifted dramatically from VHS to DVD, whereas Blu-ray, despite entering the market later, never gained significant traction.
In 2002, movie rentals stood at around 185 thousand, yet this figure fell persistently year by year. By 2005, they had dropped to roughly 150 thousand, and by 2009 the total was only about 90 thousand. Finally, in 2011, rentals decreased further to just above 50 thousand, marking the lowest point recorded.
Turning to purchases, a strong substitution effect can be observed. VHS sales, for instance, began at around 80 thousand in 2002 but plummeted rapidly, shrinking to merely 10 thousand by 2005 before vanishing entirely afterwards. By contrast, DVD sales followed the opposite trajectory. They started at under 50 thousand in 2002, yet rose sharply to more than 170 thousand in 2004, before reaching a peak of approximately 210 thousand in 2008. Nevertheless, there was a slight downturn in the final years, as sales slipped back to nearly 190 thousand in 2011. Meanwhile, Blu-ray first appeared in 2007 with almost negligible sales. Although the numbers increased slowly to around 10 thousand by 2011, its presence remained relatively marginal compared with DVDs.
In conclusion, while film rentals declined relentlessly during the period, DVD purchases became the dominant format, clearly replacing the obsolete VHS. On the other hand, Blu-ray never managed to establish itself as a mainstream choice among consumers.