With the U.S. economy on a downhill slide, you'd think that consumers would be cutting back on their home entertainment spending. Surprisingly, that's not the case. According to Video Business, consumers generated more than $10 billion in DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales during the first half of 2008. Of this, Blu-ray accounted for more than $200 million, up nearly 300% from 2007.
Although Blu-ray titles are sold at a hefty premium to standard DVD, consumers believe BD is a relative deal compared to other leisure options, say studios. That is reflected in BD spending north of $200 million year-to-date through June, up about 300% from the same 2007 frame.
“I think people are becoming pickier on what they spend their money on, but home entertainment always represents a good value,” said Lori MacPherson, general manager for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, North America. “Thirty dollars for a Blu-ray movie that you can watch over and over again is still a great value.”
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn cited data that Blu-ray is gaining ground at retail. According to studio research, "We are trending 8% Blu-ray sales [per title], and at the end of the year, we will be between 10% and 12%,” said Dunn.
While Blu-ray is slowly gaining momentum, its sales are still a drop in the bucket compared to the standard DVD. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here.