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Blu-ray Sales Up 35 Percent in 2011 - Even Stronger Overseas
Thu Dec 08, 2011 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Blu-ray Discs, Sales Figures, Industry Trends (all tags)
As you might imagine, 'Star Wars' gave the format quite a boost.
Blu-ray sales are up significantly this year, with growth reaching 35 percent in the U.S. Last year, 85 million Blu-rays were sold. This year the estimate is sitting at 115 million. It's a big step forward and certainly a sign of things to come.
Part of the reason, of course, is the release of 'Star Wars' on Blu-ray. The HD version of the series inspired quite a few first-time Blu-ray disc purchases and spurred on sales of players. What may be even more important is the price of Blu-ray players. Customers are seeing Blu-ray players and DVD players at similar price points and at that point there's no reason to stick with DVD. It's getting to the point that making DVD players seems a bit pointless.
One thing that needs to happen, according to Futuresource analyst Jim Bottoms, is a reduction in the prices of Blu-ray discs. In Europe, where sale growth is even stronger, there's a much smaller difference between DVD and Blu-ray prices.
Source: Home Media Magazine
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Black Friday Sales Reach an All Time Record
Tue Nov 29, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Black Friday, Blu-ray Players, Blu-ray Discs (all tags)
Electronics are up across the board, with Blu-ray players and Blu-ray discs accounting for a good chunk of business.
Black Friday is always a big shopping day, but this year's post-Thanksgiving sale day was particularly good to the electronics industry if estimates are any indicator.
According to the National Polling Data Group (NPD) over 226 million shoppers converged on stores, up significantly from the 212 million last year. The estimate for money spent by these consumers exceeds $52 billion.
Of those that braved the lines and the cold, 40 percent bought electronics items - up from 37 percent last year. Those items include Blu-ray players and Blu-ray/DVD movies which were in the top three for home entertainment purchases.
Cyber Monday looks like it was good for the industry too, with 123 million Americans making purchases. Last year's number was just 107 million.
Source: Home Media Magazine
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Netflix Creates a Separate Division for DVDs and Blu-rays
Wed Jul 27, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Netflix, Blu-ray Discs, Industry Trends (all tags)
CEO Reed Hastings says that this will help to better satisfy customers signed up for the disc based service.
Netflix announced today what might be good news for those unhappy with the disc-by-mail side of things. Instead of trying to split the company's attention between streaming and DVD, there will be two separate business divisions moving forward.
The folks over at Netflix haven't disclosed too much information about the new division, but CEO Reed Hastings says that they've got some pretty neat ideas that will be implemented this winter. There will also be a new marketing campaign aimed specifically at fans of discs.
Hastings says while disc based rental isn't the most profitable part of the Netflix service, it's not going anywhere. He adds that even if the market doesn't grow, he believes it will shrink slowly enough that they can keep it going for years to come.
Source: Home Media Magazine
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Discs Will Dominate Until At Least 2015, Says Study
Fri Apr 08, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, Streaming, Digital Distribution, Industry Trends (all tags)
The lowering price point of rentals and lack of broadband across the country means physical media is sticking around for a while.
Digital distribution gets a lot of love, and though Netflix has gained quite a bit of popularity, a recent study by the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) says that digital distribution isn't taking over any time soon.
Part of the reason is that there's no clear point of transition. When DVDs came out, you only really had one choice - get a DVD player. With digital distribution, you have a number of choices in both hardware and sources. It's a much more complex environment.
The study also cited Redbox as a big help in keeping discs alive. Though studios don't always see eye to eye with the rental company, it's the low prices from Redbox that are driving disc rentals.
Another concern, of course, is 3D. "3D content requires about twice the bandwidth as conventional 2D," says the study, adding that most homes won't have access to that kind of bandwidth in the near future.
Source: Home Media Magazine
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Blu-ray Sales Up, DVD Sales Down
Tue Dec 28, 2010 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Blu-ray Discs, Blu-ray Players (all tags)
The Blu-ray format got a nice boost this holiday season and is projected to shoot even higher.
Blu-ray adaption hasn't exactly been quick. It's definitely not as quick as the switch from VHS to DVD, which is the most obvious point of comparison. Analysts say Blu-ray is unlikely to share the success of its predecessor, but it's getting close.
"Blu-ray is on the brink of becoming really mainstream," says Nash Information Services head Bruce Nash.
Blu-ray movie sales were up a whopping 75 percent year-to-year, with an expected $2 billion run this year. DVD sales are down significantly, finishing at $8 billion. Blu-ray players are equally promising, 13 percent of homes were equipped with Blu-ray going into the holiday season, but once the gifts are given the NPD expects 20 percent.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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Best Buy Cutting Back on DVDs and CDs
Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Best Buy, Blu-ray Discs (all tags)
The company will be clearing space for consumer electronics and videogames this holiday season.
It looks like Best Buy is making some changes this holiday season. The electronics giant is going to be cutting back on the shelf space allotted for CDs and DVDs to make room for tablet PCs, videogames and netbooks.
Before you get too excited though, it sounds like CDs are going to be getting the worst of it. "This will be enabled by our reorganization of the DVD and CD sections," says CEO Brian Dunn. "The CD section in particular will shrink in space allotment."
The article in Daily Finance where Dunn was quoted made no mention at all of Blu-ray discs, which may or may not be considered a part of Best Buy's DVD section. Either way, look for a slimmed down section this holiday season.
Source: Daily Finance
Tip courtesy of George Kopena. Thanks George
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