The incredible success of DVD-video has propelled home video to become America’s most popular entertainment medium, surpassing consumer spending on movie tickets, music, video games and mass-market books. Just announced by the DVD Entertainment Group at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, U.S. consumers spent more than twice as much buying and renting DVDs and VHS as they did going to the movies. In 2002, consumers spent $20.3 billion buying and renting DVDs and VHS versus $9.3 billion moviegoers spent at the theatrical box office. DVD now represents 57 percent of 2002 home video consumer spending, driven by DVD retail sales which increased 61 percent to $8.7 billion (compared with $5.4 billion in 2001). Consumers spent an additional $2.9 billion renting DVDs (more than double the $1.4 billion in 2001), bringing total DVD spending to $11.6 billion versus ...

Due to pressure from members of the board who were holding him personally responsible for AOL-TimeWarner’s sluggish performance, AOL-TW’s CEO, Steve Case resigned on Sunday. Case will remain on the Board. It doesn’t take a fly on the wall at one of their board meetings to figure out who Case was talking about regarding the criticism of Case’s leadership. And that same guy, Ted Turner, may very well get a shot at running the whole show.

Recoton Sells NHT Loudspeakers To Rockford With a 52 week high of over $15 per share and a current price of just over a $1.00 per share, AV giant Recoton has sold NHT (Now Hear This) to Phoenix based Rockford recently according to industry trade magazine Twice. This is likely a move by Recoton to become more nimble and to foster what has been a little recovery in its stock price. Their stock has been as low as $0.52 per share as recently as September 2002 which, if sustained, often means a dreaded delisting from the market it is traded on.

EchoStar and Hughes Terminate Proposed Merger Agreement EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:DISH), General Motors and its subsidiary, Hughes Electronics Corporation (NYSE: GM, GMH), have announced that the companies have reached a settlement to terminate the proposed merger of Hughes and EchoStar, effective immediately.

Dunlavy Officially Out of Business After Recent Restructuring All of the positive press over the years and the recent restructuring of the company couldn’t save Dunlavy Loudspeakers. A one sentence announcement informs prospective clients that the company "has ceased operations as of November 7, 2002" on the Dunlavy website.