Digital Entertainment Group says more than 3.3 million Blu-ray players
were sold through the first three quarters of 2009.

Blu-ray sales were up 66.3 percent to $161 million in the third quarter of 2009 and are up 83 percent year-to-date to $568 million, according to the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG)

More than 3.3 million Blu-ray players have sold through the first three quarters of 2009, an increase of 13 percent over the same period in 2008, according DEG.

Blu-ray player sales have grown 112 percent through the third quarter, with Blu-ray players, including PlayStation 3, now in 11.7 million households. About 80 percent of Blu-ray devices are BD-Live capable, according to DEG.

In the first half of 2009, sales of Blu-ray discs rose 91 percent, while Blu-ray hardware sales grew nearly 25 percent and surpassed two million units, according to DEG.

« We’re enthusiastic about the continued promise of Blu-ray Disc with more entry-level players coming to market and the upcoming strong slate of box office blockbusters, » says Amy Jo Smith, executive director of DEG.

Consumer Spending Down
Overall consumer spending in the third quarter of 2009 in the pre-recorded entertainment category, which includes DVD, Blu-ray, and digital distribution, was down 3.2 percent to $4 billion compared to the same period in 2008. Digital distribution rose 18 percent to $420 million for the quarter and is up 20 percent year-to-date to $1.4 billion.

« We are pleased to see an uptick in the number of consumer transactions, indicating a continuing strong demand for home entertainment product, » says Ron Sanders, president of DEG and Warner Home Video. « We are also encouraged by the dramatic growth of Blu-ray and the increases in digital distribution and rental in the third quarter. »

According to DEG, Blu-ray is now accounting for an average of 12 percent of packaged media sales for theatrical new releases.

Source: www.cepro.com/news/