The British Video Association announced that, given recent sales trends and attitude shifts, it expects Blu-ray Discs (BD) to be a popular gift choice this Christmas.
For more information visit: www.bva.org.uk
Unedited press release follows:
Blu-ray set to be Christmas favourite
28th November 2012: Figures released today by the British Video Association signal that Blu-ray Discs are set to be a Christmas favourite, as the number of DVD shoppers who trade up to Blu-ray Disc are expected to double during the gifting season, following the trend seen over 2010 and 2011. With Christmas around the corner, high street retailers and online stores are preparing for their busiest month of the year in video sales, as shoppers seek out those must-see films, television series and seasonal specials in the best picture and sound quality as gifts for family and friends.
The month of December historically takes over a fifth of all annual disc sales. Kantar Worldpanel reports that consumer spending on video gifting rose by 18% in December 2011 compared with the same period in 2009, from £194,390,000 to £228,498,000. It also indicates that DVD buyers are most likely to trade up to high definition Blu-ray Discs in the pre-Christmas shopping period. Blu-ray Disc volume sales are already up 12.9% on 2011 so far this year.
This growing desire for top quality picture and sound in video entertainment is also evident in hardware sales. GfK’s data show Blu-ray player volumes up by 18% in the 12 months to the end of October, while continued growth is reported in the market for the largest screen HD-TVs of 43″+, up 30% in the same period and forecast by GfK to reach 1 million units by the end of the year.
Exciting releases expected to lift sales in the run up to Christmas include The Dark Knight Rises from Warner (out 3/12/2012), The Bourne Legacy from Universal (out 3/12/2012), Ice Age 4: Continental Drift from Fox (out 10/12/2012) and The Expendables 2 from Lionsgate (out 10/12/2012).
Recent popular titles on Blu-ray which could also find their way under the Christmas tree range from Prometheus, where Blu-ray accounts for 45% of sales to date, 32% for Avengers Assemble, and 29% on Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, to box sets such as Bond 50 (44% on Blu-ray), Dr Who Series 7, Part 1 (18% on Blu-ray), Game of Thrones First Season (26% on Blu-ray), Harry Potter – The Complete Collection (28% on Blu-ray) and BBC wildlife classics which lend themselves ideally to the superlative quality of Blu-ray, such as Wonders of the Universe which has sold 43% to-date on Blu-ray.
Lavinia Carey, Director General of the BVA, said:
“There are encouraging signs that more people are looking for great quality during the gifting season and while video entertainment is a perennial Christmas favourite, the must-have releases are best enjoyed in high definition Blu-ray at ever more affordable prices. With trend-bucking resilience in high-end flat TV sales, increasingly being wall-mounted and accompanied by a sound-bar for improved audio quality, viewers clearly value the benefits of a home-theatre style experience to watch video entertainment.”
Top 10 Blu-ray titles year to week 47
Title Distributor
1 Avengers Assemble Walt Disney Studios
2 Prometheus 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
3 Sherlock Holmes – A Game Of Shadows Warner Home Video
4 The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Entertainment One
5 The Hunger Games Elevation Sales
6 Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol Paramount Home Entertainment
7 The Adventures Of Tintin – The Secret Of Paramount Home Entertainment
8 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Warner Home Video
9 Alien – Quadrilogy 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
10 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Elevation Sales
Titles in bold include box-set sales.
Source: BVA/OCC
About the BVA
The British Video Association exists to champion video entertainment in all its forms, from packaged media such as DVD and Blu-ray Discs through to digital services available on demand, to rent or to own on portable devices and for home viewing.
The proliferation of content delivery channels, now with more than 40 digital video services, is constantly increasing consumer choice and the video industry releases about 7,000 titles a year, on which consumers spent over £2.3 billion in 2011. It is the single most valuable part of the audiovisual sector in terms of generating returns on investment for film production.
The BVA’s members include film and television companies and independent labels who produce, license and distribute pre-recorded video entertainment, covering film, sport & fitness, music, TV, children’s and special interest programming. Its members account for some 90% of the sector.
See www.bva.org.uk for further information