Technicolor Disc Replication Rises

26 Apr, 2013 By: Chris Tribbey

Replicator and entertainment technology company Technicolor April 26 reported slightly lower revenues for the first quarter of 2013, with a drop in entertainment services revenue offset by revenue gains for both the connected home and technology divisions. Meanwhile, disc replication grew.

The Paris-based company reported revenue of €775 million ($1 billion) for the quarter ended March 31, down from €800 million ($1.04 billion) during the same quarter in 2012.

“This quarter was marked by robust revenue growth resulting from our continued focus on execution,” said Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose. “This good performance was driven by sustained licensing revenues, a great performance in connected home and revenue growth in our core entertainment services.

“We have increased market shares across our different businesses and maintained our focus on innovation to support their growth and to further strengthen our intellectual property. We are on track to deliver on our 2013 commitments.”

The entertainment services unit revenue, which includes replication duties, fell to €376 million ($489.7 million) from €395 ($514.4 million), though Technicolor reported higher replication volumes for both DVD and Blu-ray Disc, which combined rose 9% year-over-year. During the quarter, Technicolor replicated 249 million DVD units, up from 248 million, and 54 million Blu-ray units, up from 27 million.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Warner), Wreck-It-Ralph (Disney), Les Misérables (Universal), Rise of the Guardians (Paramount/DreamWorks) and Django Unchained (Weinstein) marked a strong slate of replicated releases during the quarter for the company.

“In addition, the ongoing popularity with consumers of multi-disc DVD/Blu-ray combo-packs and other special-edition sets has continued to help drive strong disc replication demand for both DVD and Blu-ray,” Technicolor reported.