Blu-ray disc sales gain ground on DVD

Since Blu-ray finally won the format war, next-gen disc sales are gaining market share from DVD in the home video market.

According to data from Nielsen VideoScan First Alert, Disney’s Blu-ray title ‘No Country for Old Men’ drew 9.8 percent of its total unit sales from Blu-ray during its first five days in stores.

The Blu-Ray version of Fox’s ‘Hitman was even more popular - 12.6 percent of total customers bought the Blu-ray version during its first five days on sale.

In comparison, sales of HD DVD titles, prior to the format being dropped, were rarely more than 2% or 3% of a title’s total disc sales.

According to Adams Media Research analyst, Tom Adams, Blu-ray’s gains are based on the increased confidence of consumers to purchase Blu-ray discs, now the format war is over.

Adams expects Blu-ray disc sales to continue to grow, helped by the increasing penetration of Blu-ray hardware, and sales of Sony’s Blu-ray-driven PlayStation 3.