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RCA Press Release for May 4, 1983 No. 2

LAS VEGAS, May 4 -- Sales of "CED" video disc albums have been running at peak levels in both units and dollars through the first four months of this year, and all signs point to another record year, Herbert J. Mendelsohn, Division Vice President, Marketing, RCA VideoDiscs, predicted today.

"This year we're expecting total 'CED' sales -- both hardware and software -- of more than $300 million," he told a meeting of RCA distributors. "Next year, those dollars are likely to double, and, as player sales continue to climb, it won't be too many years before annual software sales alone reach a billion dollars."

Noting that changes are occurring in the video disc marketplace, Mr. Mendelsohn said, "They are all positive indicators of the great potential forecast for this new industry."

Mr. Mendelsohn said RCA and other "CED" software suppliers expect to have more than 1,000 titles available by the end of this year, catering to a wide variety of tastes and interests.

In an effort to further stimulate consumer purchases, Mr. Mendelsohn said RCA has developed a video catalog called a "Home Preview Disc." This disc contains segments of more than 100 programs in the catalog and permits the consumer to "browse" through the catalog in the comfort of his own home and decide which discs to buy.

The 100 excerpts are arranged by categories such as comedy, drama, music, science fiction, and special interest. The Home Preview Disc will be available for loan to consumers in RCA's 2,500 Showcase Dealer outlets starting in June.

Mr. Mendelsohn said RCA plans to release a new Home Preview Disc every four months to supplement the printed catalog and the new release flyers.

He told the distributors that a wide variety of new releases are scheduled for the next few months, including "Reds," and "48 Hrs."

At the same time, he said, RCA is inaugurating a stock balancing program to help distributors streamline their business operations and to encourage them to aggressively purchase, merchandise, and sell "CED" video discs.

A key element in this program is a national computer-generated program under which overstocked and understocked distributors will be able to balance their inventories.