The Blu-ray Disc Association European Promotions Committee announced that total BD disc movie sales across Europe have reached over two million units. The news comes within two months of the announcement of one million unit sales, which was achieved in early November last year.

Disc movie sales totalled 2.37 million, which means that 79% of the high definition movie discs bought by consumers year-to-date across Europe were in the Blu-ray Disc format compared with 21% in the HD DVD format, according to sales data provided by Media Control Gfk International.

Frank Simonis, Chairman of the BDA European Promotions Committee, points out that Blu-ray Disc’s rapid establishment comes through direct comparison of its performance with that of the DVD-Video format at a comparable stage in its development. "DVD-Video was first introduced into Western Europe in 1997, and the following year some 230,000 DVD players were installed and 2 million discs were sold through. In comparison, Blu-ray Disc made its first tentative launch in Western Europe in 2006, and the following year some 3.2 million PlayStation 3 consoles and 34,000 standalone players were installed while 2.3 million Blu-ray Discs sold through according to data from Screen Digest."

Sales up to Christmas were strong with over half a million Blu-ray movie discs sold in December, outselling HD DVD by 3:1 with a 75% market share. The biggest Christmas release was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End with sales of nearly 100,000 units. This was joined by impressive sales for Simpsons: The Movie and Casino Royale.

Salzburg, Austria-based Sony DADC plant, Europe’s largest Blu-ray disc manufacturer, announced that it has produced more than one million Blu-ray discs for more than 35 independent European distributors across 150 titles. With independent studios accounting for roughly 30% of the European home entertainment market, Sony DADC sees them as important customers. To service a growing demand, it is helping independent replicators to set up their Blu-ray manufacturing lines.

Educating the consumer on the merits of high-definition is now the priority. "Our challenge now is not in fighting a format war, but in our commitment to continually push the capabilities of Blu-ray and to work closely with our retailers to enable consumers to enjoy an increasingly enriched world of home entertainment,” says Nicola Cartwright, UK Managing Director of Lions Gate Home Entertainment, a BD publisher.

Story filed 14.02.08