Blu-ray approaching 100m disc sales

Global sales of Blu-ray discs will pass the 100m unit mark this year, according to data from research firm Futuresource Consulting.

It states that the increasing number of HDTVs in consumer’s homes will offset the negative market effects of the economic recession.

Last year in the US alone, Blu-ray video retail sales increased by a whopping 320 per cent to 24 million units,” Futuresource’s senior analyst Mai Hoang stated. We’re going to see momentum continuing in 2009, with over 80 million disc sales forecast. In the USA, Blu-ray has moved from early adopter phase through to early majority, with the format gaining real traction in the marketplace.

The UK is the largest market for Blu-ray discs in Western Europe. With sales of more than 3.5 million units in 2008, it represented over 40 per cent of the West European total.

Futuresource MD Jim Bottoms added: Blu-ray disc sales continue to expand into all major markets and genres. Although to date the business has gravitated towards new release titles. In particular, the action adventure genre dominates, appealing strongly to the young male technology adopter, which also closely matches the PlayStation 3 owner profile.”