U.S. Consumers Purchased 147,000 Blu-Ray Players the Week of Thanksgiving

DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, in conjunction with Greenfield Online, released survey data illustrating that HDTV owners have placed Blu-ray at the top of their holiday wish list this year. Also, according to new statistics from NPD Group and DisplaySearch, consumers purchased 147,000 stand alone Blu-ray players the week of Thanksgiving – up 300 percent over any single week of Blu-ray player sales in the past – and independent DEG analysis shows that Blu-ray software sales quadrupled Black Friday week sales from 2007.

“This recent survey data combined with these sales numbers illustrates that, given the economy, people will be spending more time entertaining themselves at home by watching movies – and the delivery system they want is Blu-ray,” said Amy Jo Smith, Executive Director, DEG. “These stats are particularly encouraging because, even with the consumer anxiety out there right now, Blu-ray is poised for a strong holiday sales season.”

The Greenfield research found that Blu-ray disc players are the number one home electronics item on HDTV owners’ holiday wish lists.  Additionally, the respondents indicated they would like to receive movies on disc this holiday season, and would prefer to get a Blu-ray movie as a gift rather than a standard DVD. This data comports with additional findings which indicate that, given the tough economy, a majority of HDTV households will rely more heavily on in-home entertainment spending – like buying movies on DVD and Blu-ray – rather than spend money on activities out of the home.

Looking solely at Blu-ray households (those individuals who currently have a Blu-ray player or Sony PlayStation 3), nearly two-thirds of respondents think buying a movie on Blu-ray for $25 is a better value than going out to dinner or a concert. Additionally, two-thirds of Blu-ray households say they are interested in purchasing a Blu-ray player for a family member this holiday season and nearly three quarters are interested in purchasing a Blu-ray disc for a family member. This data, combined with recent DEG-commissioned research by SmithGeiger – which showed that nine out of 10 Blu-ray owners expressed a likelihood to recommend the format to potential buyers – confirms that Blu-ray owners are, in fact, Blu-ray evangelists.

The Greenfield research also showed that the top five Blu-ray titles on consumers’ holiday wish lists are: The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia! The Movie, Wall-E, The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and Hancock. The Dark Knight sold 600,000 Blu-ray Disc copies on its first day of sales, surpassing the previous record set by Iron Man, which sold 260,000 on its release date. Hancock sold nearly 300,000 units in its first three days.

The Greenfield Survey was conducted online from November 17-20 and asked questions of 1,000 individuals who currently own an HDTV.