By : Chris Tribbey | Posted: 20 Aug 2009
ctribbey@questex.com

Disc rental still trumps the Web, according to a new survey cited by the Web site All Things Digital.

In a survey of 700 Internet users, Kaufman Bros. analyst Aaron Kessler reported that 20% of those without a Netflix subscription planned to get one before the end of 2009, and 68% of all respondents said “the ability to watch videos on the Internet vs. renting from a physical store or by mail” isn’t important, the Web site reported. Meanwhile, only a sliver of respondents, 6%, said the streaming feature is important.

Kessler did not return requests for a copy of his research or a comment.

“DVD by mail life cycle may be longer than current thinking,” the Web site quoted Kessler saying in a research note. “While we would agree that a large percentage of the DVD rental market will move to digital in the long term, our survey indicates that the current life cycle of physical rentals may be longer than people think.”

Kessler’s research found that 52% of respondents would turn to a DVD mail-order service such as Netflix if brick-and-mortar stores were not an option, while only 32% said they would go to the Internet for content, the Web site reported.

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