With so much content now available at will via online streaming and subscription video services, ownership and renting of individual titles has become surprisingly rare, according to a new study from GfK.

The report, offered as part of GfK’s The Home Technology Monitor, shows that many consumers continue to prize their DVDs and other physical media, with their “Director’s Cuts,” audio commentaries, and other special features. As longtime movie buffs, we look for DVDs with those features, typically not available via streaming services.

But the report suggests viewers are less likely to add to their video libraries with intangible digital copies, suggesting that content marketers need to be more proactive in understanding and reaching out to videophiles.

According to the study, less than half (46 percent) of consumers say they have ever purchased or rented a digital-only copy of a TV program or movie, compared with 86 percent who bought or rented a DVD or Blu-ray disc, and 78 percent for VHS tapes.

Among those who do rent digital movies, 33 percent do so monthly, compared with a 60 percent frequency for those who rented VHS or disc movies in the past. Not only are consumers reporting fewer overall digital transactions, but also less frequency among those who are buying digital video.

“Our research clearly shows that most ‘digital-nevers’ have histories of renting or buying TV programs and movies in physical media,” said David Tice, SVP of Media and Entertainment and director of The Home Technology Monitor. “But the desire to seek out and purchase content so purposefully seems to have given way in a digital world to a subscription mindset.

For more information, please visit www.gfk.com