Nielsen VideoScan/Home Media Magazine: Blu-ray/DVD/HD DVD Stats (Updated Weekly)

[admin]

For the week ending 15th February 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 8% vs 92%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales down 2% compared to last week, total spending: $10.78 million (6.57%)
DVD sales up 7.9% compared to last week, total spending: $153.35 million (93.43%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (February 23 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom293445WXC/index.php?startid=1

Another average week for Blu-ray, with DVD making a little comeback - DVD sales were only 0.25% down compared to the same time last year, which given the economy, lower DVD prices, and competition from Blu-ray, that should qualify it as an increase in sales.

Madagascar 2 was again this week's top seller, thanks largely to the absence of any real hit releases. TDK jumps back up to second - where would Blu-ray be without it (and Iron Man), you might wonder. The third most popular Blu-ray title of the week was "Miracle at St. Anna". "W." coming in sixth, Planet Earth also in the top 10 along with Iron Man and Transformers.

For the BD market share, the Madagascar 2 did not make the top 20 again despite being the most popular title (so it had under 9.92% market share, which was the bottom listed share in the top 20). "Miracle at St. Anna" did better at 18%, but the pattern we're seeing is that popular titles debut at around 15 to 20%, and then fall away as DVD sales come back stronger due to price cuts. The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom293445WXC/index.php?startid=9

Some bigger releases next week. Body of Lies, Changeling and High School Musical 3 lead the new release list, while catalogue releases like Ghandi, The Passion of the Christ, Kramer vs Kramer and "Capote / In Cold Blood", a 2-disc pack (first for Blu-ray?) is also available.

[dr_ml422]

Admin, so aside from being able to plug into the net and wireless access via the PSP as I'm learning, along w/the usual Gaming features, BD-Live, and Blu-ray player, is it really panning out to be a wise investment getting a PS3? I mean if one doesn't Game, has access to the Net via another method, and uses a alternative to watch Blu-ray or DVD's, is the price really justified taking into account how the trend is going and the alternative methods sprouting all over the place?

I'm doing all my research 1st on the available consoles and viewing options as well as storage, being that purchasing a HDTV isn't that much difficult.

[admin]

Do you have a computer or a similar device connected to your TV at the moment and do you think you will need something like this (to watch your downloaded videos, music, and look at your photos ...)? What kind of TV would you connect the PS3 to?

If you don't have a computer or a similar device connected this way, but want one plus if you want Blu-ray or a bit of gaming now and then, then the PS3 is a good buy. I use mine 50% for DVDs, 40% for media sharing and only 10% for Blu-ray (no gaming). And it's used quite a bit as well, despite having a dedicated upscaling DVD player plus Xbox 360 (which can also share media), and also a computer that can connect to the TV when needed. It's much cheaper than building a dedicated HTPC, but does most of the functions and in a more user friendly way.

I would wait though, because PS3 prices will have to drop at some stage in the next 6 months if Sony are to survive in the marketplace, and then it would be an easier decision than right now because with the current PS3 pricing, you really do have to consider other solutions such as standalone Blu-ray players.

[dr_ml422]

Ok, so apart from my not having my computer or similar device connected to my TV, which I haven't bought yet, stayed w/the 1 in the living room which is not hi-def, I'd have to not only wait for the PS3 prices to come down, but also know exactly what I can and can't do w/the PS3. I'm still studying the features and need to be sure about their whole take concerning what can be pumped into it from a computer, whether from a online or hdd source. I still don't know what restrictions it has regarding DRM and anything else Sony don't want used w/their PS3. Basically, everything that it can and can't/won't has to be considered, especially w/all the alternatives out there, and cheaper as well.

[admin]

For the week ending 22nd February 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 10% vs 90%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales up 23.19% compared to last week, total spending: $13.28 million (8.57%)
DVD sales down 7.64% compared to last week, total spending: $141.64 million (91.43%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (March 2 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom780336DCV/index.php?startid=1

A slight rebound for Blu-ray off two pretty average weeks, but still unable to breach 10% which was so easily done in the last few months. The improvement comes from a couple of new releases that finally relegated The Dark Knight to 5th place, which is still quite respectable for a title that's already been out for nearly 3 months. The new releases included the week's number one, Body of Lies, High School Musical 3 and Quarantine. Last week's number one, Madagascar 2, was at fourth.

For the BD market share, Body of Lies did quite well at 20.52%, breaking the recent trend of number 1 titles not making it into the top 20 (Body of Lies was 4th). The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom780336DCV/index.php?startid=7

Back to being a quiet week next week again I think. Anime hit Akira is being released on Blu-ray, as is Samurai 7. The French Connection and Ronin leads the catalogue releases, with the new episode of Futurama also available.

[dr_ml422]

Quarantine was excellent. Think I'll snatch it this week. I have French Connection on DVD as I do Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Panic In Needle Park. Pacino was so young in Neddle Park. Was his 1st flic. I think I might go for all his collections' best. He and Eastwood pretty much stood the course of their original genres.

[admin]

For the week ending 1st March 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 8% vs 92%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales down 10.77% compared to last week, total spending: $11.85 million (7.9%)
DVD sales down 2.42% compared to last week, total spending: $138.21 million (92.1%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (March 9 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom189903XCB/index.php?startid=3

Another poor week for Blu-ray, not because DVD sales rose, but because Blu-ray sales had a bigger percentage drop. Compared to the same time last year, Blu-ray sales rose 46%, which sounds impressive but you have to consider that HD DVD was still pulling about 25%, so let's say Blu-ray absorbed this, then the actual increase is only about 21%. Which is not bad, but for a new format, it's not really as much movement as you would like considering the extra number of hardware players that are out there compared to before (a couple of million PS3s, for one).

The week's number one was actually two week's ago's new release (Madagascar 2), which perhaps goes to explain why this week's numbers are a bit on the low side for both DVD and Blu-ray. In fact, the only new release to actually make it into the top 10 is Akira, the rest of the top 10 are dominated by hit releases from the last quarter and the last few weeks. The Dark Knight is still at 4th, Iron Man sneaked to 2nd just ahead of Body of Lies. Wall-E, HSM 3, Transformers, Eagle Eye and Tropic Thunder round out the rest.

For the BD market share, Akira did not make it into the top 20. The best performer was Iron Man, which outsold the DVD version by a bit. Body of Lies is still doing relatively well at 17.6%, with this week's number 1 Madagascar 2 at a reasonable 12.87%. The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom189903XCB/index.php?startid=7

Next week might pick up a little with the movie Australia, Beverly Kills Chihuahua, Marley and Me, and Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic being the pick of the new releases. Brokeback Mountain, The Silence of the Lambs are the pick of the catalog titles. There is also the video of the NFL Superbowl coming out, which should be interesting in terms of how well a sports title can do on the format.

[admin]

For the week ending 8th March 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 10% vs 90%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales down 10.46% compared to last week, total spending: $10.61 million (7.87%)
DVD sales down 10.12% compared to last week, total spending: $124.23 million (92.13%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (March 16 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom277953XBM/index.php?startid=1

Both formats down for the week by the same percentage, so total sales percentage remains practically constant. Top 20 titles favoured Blu-ray a bit though.

Australia debuted at number 1 this week, followed by Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic. The catalogue releases didn't make much of a dent though, with Brokeback Mountain, The Silence of the Lambs not in the top 20, and the video of the NFL Superbowl not there either.

For the BD market share, Australia recorded 12% of the share, which is respectable, but not quite reaching the highs of top releases such as TDK. The week's top title in terms of market share was Iron Man again, but only at 40%, not the usual above 50% share. This is why the top 20 share was higher than the total sales share above. The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom277953XBM/index.php?startid=8

Milk, Rachel Getting Married and Transporter 3 lead the new releases for next week, with South Park Season 12 on HD for the first time. The Disney classic Pinocchio is also available on Blu-ray, as well as the original Batman movie anthology.

[admin]

For the week ending 15th March 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 12% vs 88%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales up 57.87% compared to last week, total spending: $16.75 million (9.79%)
DVD sales up 24.21% compared to last week, total spending: $154.31 million (90.21%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (March 23 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom547114RED/index.php?startid=2

A slight rebound for both formats, but one that favoured Blu-ray a bit more. Blu-ray figures were largely led by the platinum edition of Pinnochio which outsold the week's new release, Role Model, by 40%. Transporter 3 was third, and the disappointing Australia continues to disappoint at 4th, providing only 15% of Pinnochio's numbers.

Iron Man is now out of the top 10, but in terms of market share, it still commands a healthy 40%. TDK at 33% suggests that for certain titles, Blu-ray sells better than DVDs given the ratio of the hardware install base. Transporter 3 debuted at 18%. Role Model and Milk (two titles less likely to attract the current user base) only sold 11 and 10% respectively, despite the former outselling Transporter 3. The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom547114RED/index.php?startid=8

One of Twilight or Bolt will be next week's top release, I think, and both are expected to do well on Blu-ray. The major catalogue releases include The Princess Bride and Quo Vadis.

[admin]

For the week ending 22nd March 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 9% vs 91%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales up 12.18% compared to last week, total spending: $18.79 million (9.66%)
DVD sales up 13.84% compared to last week, total spending: $175.67 million (90.34%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (March 30 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom186620BNN/index.php?startid=3

Both formats up again compared to last week - we're finally coming out of the post-holiday sales blues. However, Blu-ray sales are still very average by comparison, and that's most likely related to the lack of major releases that targets the core demographic, the PS3 owners and home theatre/film enthusiasts.

HMM now publishes year-to-year (YTY) comparisons, which I actually believe is a bit misleading, because you see DVD revenue down and Blu-ray up for this week's figures compared to the same time last year, but actually both formats were up against last week. This makes Blu-ray appear better than it is, but in actual fact, Blu-ray sales have been dropping compared to DVDs since the holidays ended. And in any case, YTY comparisons are largely useless because it all depends on what was released in the same week of last year. Now if you actually take the year to date average and compare that to last year's average, then maybe you have something worth looking at. The Blu-ray stats from last week and this week show exactly why these YTY comparisons are useless because last week, Blu-ray was up 50+%, and this week, it was only up 5% (I think I Am Legend was released around this time last year). Even DVD sales were up at points this year, despite the stories of DVD sales going down the drain.

With that rant out of the way, let's actually look at this week's releases. Twilight was the expected hit of the week, blowing everything out of the water including the Platinum Edition release of Pinocchio (by a 5 to 1 margin). The surprising loser of the week was Disney's Bolt, which only just managed to squeeze into the top 10 and selling 20 times less than Twilight and 4 times less than Pinocchio. This was despite Bolt being released on Blu-ray two days earlier than the DVD version, to give the format a boost. This may have backfired. To be fair though, it came at the very end of the reporting period, and so it may do better next week. Role Models came in a respectable 4th.

In terms of market share, Iron Man was top again with 46.5%. Bolt, while under performing in the sales charts, did well to get the number 5 in the market share charts with 19.9%. Pinocchio was at 13.19%, which shows that people are still buying DVD versions, despite the movie being previously released on DVD (limited release though). The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom186620BNN/index.php?startid=12

Quantum of Solace. That's all you need to know about next week. There are also a bunch of older Bond releases, plus the The Fast and the Furious Trilogy and The Kite Runner.

[admin]

For the week ending 29th March 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 13% vs 87%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales up 27.89% compared to last week, total spending: $24.03 million (10.92%)
DVD sales up 11.63% compared to last week, total spending: $196.10 million (89.08%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (April 6 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom056627EXC/index.php?startid=3

As expected, Quantum of Solace helped to lift Blu-ray sales by $ volume above 10% for the first time since February. It even helped Casino Royale to get back into the top 10 charts (sitting in 4th). QoS should represent Sony's best effort in trying to promote Blu-ray, as it is their hit movie of the year and we all know Sony's relationship with Blu-ray. Plus, Sony's give-aways means that many people, especially PS3 owners, already have Casino Royale on Blu-ray, and it would be normal to get QoS on Blu-ray even if they don't usually by Blu-ray movies. However, one cannot feel slightly disappointed in the overall sales figures, as $ volume did not exceed 11% (and remember, because Blu-ray movies are more expensive than DVDs, the $ volume number will always favour the Blu-ray version, with the actual disc volume being lower by 3% of more).

The rest of the top 10 are made up of titles from previous weeks, including Bolt that did poorly last week (due to release at the very end of the reporting period) who is now third, although still somewhat disappointing as it was again outsold by Twilight, last week's number one title.

In terms of market share, the recently re-release version of Casino Royale on Blu-ray, plus the helping hand that Quantum of Solace provided, made it the top title of the week with 53.49% of all sales. It is impressive because Casion Royale has been on Blu-ray forever and has been bundled with the PS3 and other Blu-ray players (the original version, not the re-release version). QoS was at a very high 28%, so perhaps the aforementioned effect of PS3 owners and Sony's give-away has worked, only that the movie wasn't a hit enough to get more sales happening. The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom056627EXC/index.php?startid=8

A very big week for releases. Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaires is out, Marley & Me, Seven Pounds round out the new to disc releases. The Matrix, the two Riddick movies, An American in Paris, South Pacific lead the catalogue titles. Slumdog Millionaires will be interesting because while it is an Oscar winner, it isn't the sort of movie that usually attracts Blu-ray users just like No Country for Old Men did relatively poorly on Blu-ray last year. But because of the hype, this may be a winner on Blu-ray as well. We'll see next week.

[admin]

Apparently no magazine this week due to Easter, so we'll have to wait a week to find out how Slumdog Millionaires did.

[admin]

For the week ending 5th April 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 10% vs 90%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales down 30.39% compared to last week, total spending: $17.24 million (8.64%)
DVD sales down 6.99% compared to last week, total spending: $182.40 million (91.36%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (April 13 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom783560AXV/index.php?startid=3

Last week, I said:

Slumdog Millionaires will be interesting because while it is an Oscar winner, it isn't the sort of movie that usually attracts Blu-ray users just like No Country for Old Men did relatively poorly on Blu-ray last year.

It looks like I was right. Slumdog has been a relative disappointment on Blu-ray. It didn't even manage to outsell last week's number one (which stayed at number one), Quantum of Solace. Remember that this is a very much hyped move, an Oscar winner, and it only just managed to beat Marley & Me.

As such, the Blu-ray sales ratio was pretty average to say the least, and Blu-ray sales actually dropped 30% compared to the previous week.

Seven Pounds managed to beat The Matrix, and The Dark Knight slipped to 10th, which suggest that it's good run in the top 10 is about to end. TDK is still selling well above the industry average for a Blu-ray title, with 37% of the market share compared to Blu-ray.

Looking at the market share stats, Slumdog did a disappointing 12% - most new releases are average above 15% on the first week. It's titles like these, not action/sci-fi flicks, that Blu-ray needs to improve market share on - we already know what the early adopter, PS3 crowd like - it's the rest that Blu-ray needs to aim their promotions at. Seven Pounds only got 8%, Marley & Me, despite being the third most popular title on Blu-ray for the week, only managed 7%. The Marley & Me stats brings up an interesting issue - if it is indeed the third best seller on Blu-ray, only narrowly beaten by Quantum and Slumdog, then how come the market share is so low? This would suggest that the DVD version sold loads, and again it highlights where Blu-ray can do better.

The rest of the top 10 are made up of titles from previous weeks, including Bolt that did poorly last week (due to release at the very end of the reporting period) who is now third, although still somewhat disappointing as it was again outsold by Twilight, last week's number one title.

The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom783560AXV/index.php?startid=11

A quiet week due to Easter, with mainly catalogue releases. Not sure whether stats will be available or skipped. Bedtime Stories and Yes Man seems to be the lead new releases.

[admin]

Edit: Digital editions finally up, so (delayed) stats are below:

For the week ending 12th April 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 7% vs 93%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales up 13.46% compared to last week, total spending: $19.56 million (8.18%)
DVD sales up 20.38% compared to last week, total spending: $219.58 million (91.82%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (April 20 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom153309AZV/index.php?startid=1

The Day the Earth Stood Still (the crappier remake) was the number on Blu-ray title of the week, outselling Bedtime stories by almost 2:1. It achieved a market share of 20%, which is more than respectable for new release titles. Again, this is one of those titles that will appeal to PS3 owners, and with so many PS3s out there, this will definitely help with sales. Yes Man was 4th, just behind Quantum, but it did comparatively poorly on Blu-ray as it only managed to grab 10% market share. Slumdog stayed in the top 10 at 5th, but I would have expected a bit more from a movie with this much buzz.

Looking at the top 10 market share, it is interesting to note that none of the movies are comedies or dramas. With Blu-ray's overall market share at anywhere between 7% and 12% (let's say an average of 10%), any title that doesn't get over 10% can be considered one which does not, for some reason, appeal to the Blu-ray demographic. Bedtime Stories, while the second most popular title of the week, only managed 8.18%, and so it belongs to this category of movies. People ask me when can we say Blu-ray has truly hit the mainstream, and I think the best indication will be when titles like Bedtime Stories hit 20%+ market share, then you will know for sure that the average Joe is buying Blu-ray's (for their kids, in this instance).

The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom153309AZV/index.php?startid=7

[admin]

Edit: More detailed stats now available, and so updated below:

For the week ending 19th April 2009, here are the stats:

Percentage of Top 20 titles by disc volume:
Blu-ray vs DVD: 12% vs 88%

All sales by $ volume (Percentage of Total Sales):
Blu-ray sales down 44.84% compared to last week, total spending: $10.79 million (9.69%)
DVD sales up 54.19% compared to last week, total spending: $100.59 million (90.31%)

You can read the latest digital edition of HMM (April 27 Issue) with the above stats here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom273006TBB/index.php?startid=1

Definitely a week that's about who dropped the most, rather than who did the best. Massive drops for both Blu-ray and DVD sales due to the lack of new hit releases, which is why the top 10 looks like last week's. The Day the Earth Stood Still is still standing firm in terms of BD market share, and has done well to retain second spot behind The Spirit and just ahead of Quantum. The Spirit not only came top, but also did well in the BD market share charts at number 4, with nearly 24% market share. Other than that, there was nothing much to note about the week, as reflected by the sale stats as well.

The complete BD market share chart can be seen here:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom273006TBB/index.php?startid=11

Also, we're getting closer to the time last year when I first started with the analysis, so we'll have comparison stats.

The stats for 20th April 2008 showed that Blu-ray spending was $9.93m, which is not that much far off this year's stats. But then again, the entire home video market has shrunk due to the economy, so Blu-ray sales staying the same is probably the best one could hope for. Back then, BD had a (top 20 by volume) market share of 6%. It is now 12%, so it has effectively doubled the market share in a year, although this figure varies too much week to week to make for a good comparison (for example, recent week has seen this figure go from 8% to 13%). I think it would be safe to say that Blu-ray market share, at least for top 20 titles, has increased by about 50%.