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HBO is Thriving on DVD and Blu-ray While Others Fail

Mon Jun 06, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: HBO, Industry Trends, Disc Sales, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

The company gives full credit to its original programming.

In an environment where most companies are seeing decreased sales, HBO is doing well. Very well indeed, according to CEO Bill Nelson.

"Believe it or not, our DVD business is on an uptick, bucking the industry trend," he says. He cites the company's investment in original programming for the strong DVD performance.

"Not only have we upped the quantity, but we’re upping the quality," says Nelson. He says that keeping that programming going will ensure that disc sales stay strong. He adds that the worst case scenario is for disc sales to flatten.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Disc Sales: 'Dark Knight' Blu-ray Breaks 1M First-Week Barrier

Wed Dec 17, 2008 at 03:00 PM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Warner (all tags)

'The Dark Knight' shattered all previous high-def sales records in its first seven days in stores, setting a new opening-week benchmark for Warner with over one million Blu-ray units sold.

Widely expected to one of the format's all-time time sellers, Batman's high-def bow was sure to be impressive, and indeed its 1.7 million worldwide opening salvo handily trumped the previous record-holder for first week sales, Paramount's 'Iron Man' (which is now reported to have approached 500,000 units in its opening frame).

According to studio estimates, 'The Dark Knight's Blu-ray sales accounted for almost 13 percent of the 13.5 million combined Blu-ray and DVD sales for the title thus far.

Domestically, 'The Dark Knight' sold over 1 million Blu-ray units in its first week, including the blockbuster 600,000 first-day sales of the title reported earlier this week.

Warner expects sales to continue strongly throughout the holiday season, with final 2008 sales for 'The Dark Knight' expected to top over 2 million worldwide.

The news also comes a day before the studio is set to host a BD-Live chat with director Christopher Nolan, in which all owners of 'The Dark Knight' Blu-ray can participate.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
The Dark Knight Blu-ray sells 1.7 million in a week, shows Iron Man a magic trick [EngadgetHD]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
The Dark Knight (Blu-ray)
The Dark Knight (Limited Edition) (Blu-ray)
Iron Man (2008) (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
'Dark Knight' Set to Smash Blu-ray Shipping Record (Nov 10, 2008)
Disc Sales: 'Dark Knight' Tops 600K On Release Day (Dec 11, 2008)

Disc Sales: 'Dark Knight' Set to Smash Blu-ray Shipping Record

Mon Nov 10, 2008 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Warner (all tags)

The blockbuster 'The Dark Knight' can add another notch to its list of achievements: high-def record-breaker.

Not content to smash worldwide attendance records during its theatrical run this summer, the $500 million-plus grossing sequel is now poised to storm the next-gen record books by becoming the first Blu-ray title to ship more than a million units.

Though Warner has declined to confirm exact shipment totals, Video Business is reporting that the studio will ship in excess of 1M copies of 'The Dark Knight' in time for the Blu-ray's December 9 street date, which is believed to be a first for the format.

'The Dark Knight' was always expected to be one of the format's biggest-ever sellers since it was first announced for Blu-ray release back in October. Should the one million-shipped total hold true come December, the release will handedly top previous Blu-ray sales pacesetters 'Casino Royale' (which became the first next-gen title to sell over 100,000K units back in March 2007) and 'Transformers' (which is reported to have sold in excess of 500,000 copies on Blu).

Warner will release 'The Dark Knight' on Blu-ray December 9 in standard two-disc (MSRP $35.99) and collectible Limited Edition ($64.99) versions.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Dark Knight to break Blu-ray shipping record [Video Business]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
The Dark Knight (Blu-ray)
The Dark Knight (Limited Edition) (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Warner Announces Two Versions of 'Dark Knight' Blu-ray, Goes BD-Live (Sep 24, 2008)
Disc Sales: 'Casino Royale' Tops High-Def Charts; All Eyes on 'Happy Feet' (Mar 25, 2007)

Report: Blu-ray Disc Sales Impacting DVD

Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 03:00 PM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Industry Trends, Industry Forecasts (all tags)

Thanks to the demise of HD DVD and increased Blu-ray retail momentum, next-gen disc sales are starting to carve out a bigger slice of the home video pie, a new report suggests.

According to an analysis of Nielsen VideoScan First Alert numbers conducted by Home Media Magazine, Disney's Blu-ray chart-topper 'No Country for Old Men' drew 9.8 percent of its total unit sales from Blu-ray during its first five days in stores.

Faring even better was Fox's 'Hitman,' which saw 12.6 percent of total customers taking home the Blu-ray version during its first five days.

By comparison, high-def percentages during the height of the format war rarely topped 2 to 3 percent of a title's total disc sales. (Even 2007's biggest high-def seller, the HD DVD-only release of 'Transformers,' generated little more than 4 percent of its total unit sales from the next-gen version.)

Adams Media Research analyst Tom Adams cited a newfound sense of confidence among consumers as the main reason for Blu-ray's recent siege on DVD market share, as many of those previously waiting out the format war may now be willing to dip their toes in the Blu waters.

"Before, there was a tendency to play it safe and stick with the standard DVD," Adams said. "But now there's no longer anything to worry about."

Adams also expects to see Blu-ray disc sales continue to boom throughout the rest of calendar year, fueled by increasing penetration of Blu-ray hardware and sales of Sony's Blu-ray-driven PlayStation 3.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Blu-ray Software Sales Spike [Home Media Magazine]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
No Country for Old Men (Blu-ray)
Hitman (Blu-ray)
Transformers (2007) (HD DVD)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Disc Sales: 'No Country' Pushes Blu-ray Past 9M Mark (Mar 27, 2008)

Disc Sales: 'No Country' Pushes Blu-ray Past 9M Mark

Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Industry Trends (all tags)

Propelled by strong sales of 'No Country for Old Men,' total U.S. Blu-ray software sales since inception have now topped 9 million through the week ending March 16.

According to HMR research, BD unit sales for the first 11 weeks of this year lodged 3 million units, adding to the 6 million the format had sold previously since its launch in mid-2006. The year's strong sales pace thus far puts Blu-ray solidly on track to top at least 15 million units sold for 2008.

Although weekly Blu-ray disc sales have been averaging 200,000 to 300,000 since the beginning of the year, they surged to 319,000 for the week ending March 16, buoyed by Disney's 'No Country for Old Men.'

The recent Best Picture Oscar-winner moved a stellar 68,000 Blu-ray copies in its first week, and handily outpaced the 10,000 to 30,000 units that top-sellers in previous weeks had averaged (it also easily trounced its nearest competitor, Fox's 'Hitman,' though the second-place finisher also posted healthy sales).

Blu-ray's momentum looks likely to continue throughout the Spring, with a strong line-up of new releases due in the weeks ahead. All eyes are now on such upcoming hits as Fox's 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' (April 1) and 'Juno' (April 15), New Line's 'The Golden Compass' (April 29) and Sony's 'Untraceable' to see if they can match or exceed 'No Country's gangbusters first-week sales tally. Stay tuned...

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
9 mil. Blu Discs Sold To Date; 3 million Already This Year [Hollywood in Hi-Def]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
No Country for Old Men (Blu-ray)
Hitman (Blu-ray)
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) (Blu-ray)
Juno (Blu-ray)
The Golden Compass (Blu-ray)
Untraceable (Blu-ray)

'American Gangster' HD DVD Tops VideoScan's Weekly High-Def Disc Sales Chart

Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 04:00 PM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Universal (all tags)

Blu-ray may have officially won the high-def format war last week, but in a strange twist, the top selling high-def disc of the week was an HD DVD release.

Yes, you read right. Universal's 'American Gangster' -- released on the same day that Toshiba announced it would drop HD DVD support -- topped Neilsen VideoScan's First Alert high-def disc charts for the week ending February 24, 2008, outselling the top Blu-ray release ('Michael Clayton') by nearly 2:1.

Of course, the remaining nine titles on VideoScan's high-def best sellers chart were all Blu-ray titles, giving the format yet another weekly win in overall sales, with Blu-ray commanding 77% of all high-def disc sales for the week. (Thanks to Robert for the correction!)

A complete list of VideoScan's top ten high-def best sellers for the week follows below: (click linked titles to read our reviews)

1. American Gangster (HD DVD); INDEX: 100
2. Michael Clayton (Blu-ray); INDEX: 62.24
3. The Rock (Blu-ray); INDEX: 27.26
4. Cars (Blu-ray); INDEX: 26.18
5. We Own the Night (Blu-ray); INDEX: 24.29
6. Planet Earth (Blu-ray); INDEX: 22.69
7. Con Air (Blu-ray); INDEX: 21.37
8. Gone Baby Gone (Blu-ray); INDEX: 19.89
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Blu-ray); INDEX: 19.26
10. Crimson Tide (Blu-ray); INDEX: 18.28

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
American Gangster Tops Hidef Media Chart Week Ending Feb 24 [Format War Central]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Toshba Officially Drops HD DVD (Feb 19, 2008)

Blu-ray Dominates Disc Sales Chart Post-Warner Announcement

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 03:00 PM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Industry Trends (all tags)

The Blu-ray camp took a decisive lead in disc sales for the week ending January 13th, the first full week following Warner's announcement that it would abandon its HD DVD support.

Though Blu-ray has outsold HD DVD in overall disc sales by a factor of nearly 2:1 since the start of 2007, last week saw the largest gulf between the two rival formats yet, with Blu-ray commanding an 85% share of all high-def discs sold.

Home Media Magazine is reporting that of the top ten high-def discs sold on either format, not a single HD DVD disc made the list, with the top-selling HD DVD disc ('The Kingdom') moving only one tenth as many units as the best selling Blu-ray title, '3:10 to Yuma.'

While it's too soon to tell whether Warner's announcement had a direct effect on Blu-ray's stronger-than-ever disc sales lead, HD DVD had been holding steady with a relatively strong 39% share of high-def disc sales in the last weeks of the 2007 holiday shopping season.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
In Wake of Warner Defection, Studios Roll Out HD DVD Product [Home Media Magazine]
Historical Sales Ratios: 2007 [High-Def Digest Forums]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
The Kingdom (2007) (HD DVD)
3:10 to Yuma (2007) (Blu-ray)

Disc Sales: 'Pirates' Leads Blu-ray to Decisive Weekly Win Over HD DVD

Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 02:30 PM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Industry Trends (all tags)

Propelled by strong sales of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,' Blu-ray software sales topped HD DVD by more than a 3:1 margin for the week ending December 9, 2007.

As we reported earlier in the week, the latest 'Pirates' Blu-ray release is said to have moved 160,000 units in its first week. Although Disney has yet to confirm those numbers, last week's final Nielsen VideoScan numbers are now in, and they provide a bit more color on just how well 'At World's End' did.

Representing a commanding share of the marketplace, Captain Jack & company sold nearly three times as many units as its closest competitor (Sony's 'Superbad' Blu-ray) -- and almost eight times the week's top-selling HD DVD (BBC Video's 'Planet Earth' box set).

The strong showing for 'Pirates' helped Blu-ray turn in a decisive victory for the week, with the format accounting for a whopping 76% of total high-def disc sales.

With strong early sales reported for this week's HD DVD release of 'The Bourne Ultimatum,' all eyes are now on next week's numbers: what effect will the Matt Damon starrer on overall format sales in a week that's also seen the long-awaited dual-format debut of all five Harry Potter titles? Stay tuned...

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Blu-ray)
Superbad (Blu-ray)
Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series (HD DVD)
The Bourne Ultimatum (HD DVD)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Report: 'Pirates' Blu-ray Sales Top 160k Units

Report: 'Pirates' Blu-ray Sales Top 160k Units

Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Disney (all tags)

First week sales for the Blu-ray edition of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' are shaping up to be a record-breaker for the Blu-ray format.

That's according to an article at Video Business, which quotes unnamed sources as saying that the trilogy-capper moved an estimated 160,000 Blu-ray units its first week out.

Although Disney has yet to confirm the numbers, such strong BD sales for the title would handily beat the format's previous first-week sales champ -- Sony's 'Spider-Man 3,' which reportedly sold 130,00 copies in its first six days.

Coming in second on Blu-ray for the week (according to Nielsen VideoScan First Alert DVD sales chart) was Sony's release of 'Superbad,' while the top-selling HD DVD of the week was the ever popular 'Planet Earth' box set.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Third Pirates sells 8 million units in first week [Video Business]
Rivals, sales pundered by 'Pirates' [The Hollywood Reporter]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Blu-ray)
Spider-Man 3 (Blu-ray)
Superbad (Blu-ray)
Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series (HD DVD)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Disc Sales: 'Spider-Man 3' Spins Record First Week for Sony (Nov 08, 2007)

VideoScan: Blu-ray Commands Thanksgiving Week Disc Sales

Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Sales, Industry Trends (all tags)

Black Friday? More like Blu Friday. According to Nielsen VideoScan, US sales of Blu-ray discs swelled to a nearly 3:1 lead over HD DVD in the first official week of the holiday shopping season.

According to the just-issued VideoScan numbers, 72.6% of all high-definition discs purchased last week were Blu-ray, versus just 27.4% for HD DVD.

Although one week's data does not necessarily indicate a trend, Blu-ray's stronger-than-ever disc sales lead for the week would seem to suggest that even record-low HD DVD player prices (and record-high HD DVD player sales) may not be enough to balance out the "PS3 Effect" on Blu-ray sales -- especially amidst a recent resurgence in sales for the game console.

Of course, there are other factors at work here as well. As HD DVD supporters have been quick to point out, last week saw a total of ten major studio Blu-ray releases (including 'Live Free or Die Hard' and 'Hairspray', versus only two on HD DVD (including 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One').

Others have questioned the reliability of VideoScan's numbers, pointing out that the research firm's point of purchase data does not include Wal-Mart, which generally accounts for 40% of all DVD sales.

Only time will tell whether Blu-ray's stronger-than-ever weekly lead is a trend in the making or simply an anomaly, but here's betting weekly disc sales numbers will be watched more closely than ever in the coming weeks. Stay tuned...

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Black Friday Marks Uptick in DVD Sales [Home Media Magazine]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Live Free or Die Hard (Blu-ray)
Hairspray (2007) (Blu-ray)
Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One (HD DVD)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
HD DVD Takes Centerstage at Wal-Mart
HD DVD Promo Group: HD DVD Player Sales Top 750,000
Sony: Price Cuts Double Weekly PS3 Sales


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