Western Europe: Blu-ray Sales Double in Q1, Drive Overall Growth

According to figures released by the Digital Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE), strong Blu-ray Disc sales continued during the first quarter of 2010, with 8.4 million discs sold (94% up year-on-year). BD sales revenues reached €151.4 million (up 61.5%). Thanks to that, sales revenue from packaged media grew by 2.3%; Blu-ray now accounts for over 10% of that revenue.

In turn, DVD unit sales increased 0.9% during the first quarter of the year; revenue decreased just 1.7%. However, the growth in Blu-ray Disc sales offset this decline, which according to the DEGE is "further evidence of the increasing popularity and appeal of the Blu-ray Disc format."

"Blu-ray has continued to ride the wave of success at the start of 2010 and it is promising to see consumers respond well to the format," said Yves Caillaud, Senior Vice President (EMEA) of Warner Home Video and Digital Distribution and Chairman of the DEGE. "With the release of some of most popular films in cinematic history in the coming months, we expect to see Blu-ray sales continue to do well through the year. The industry is providing consumers with the most innovative and enjoyable home entertainment experiences, and we expect sales to increase as the penetration of HDTVs continues to accelerate."

The sales results in this announcement are derived from official European market performance figures and include data from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.