Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[BoogalooShrimp]

I basically use streaming as a rental service. Between amazon and netflix i have access to thousands of films with a click of a button. If i stream something and enjoy it i buy the blu ray. We have an embarrassment of riches at the moment and to root for one technology to fail is idiotic. I hope both coexist for a long time.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by BoogalooShrimp

I basically use streaming as a rental service. Between amazon and netflix i have access to thousands of films with a click of a button. If i stream something and enjoy it i buy the blu ray. We have an embarrassment of riches at the moment and to root for one technology to fail is idiotic. I hope both coexist for a long time.

This sums it up perfectly. Why can't they just co-exist?

[octagon]

all we are saying, is give peace a chance - YouTube

[Cranston37]

Looking at the DEG numbers, physical discs have sold $3.6 billion worth of product so far in 2016. If you carry that out through the rest of the year you can expect $4.8 billion worth of discs to sell in 2016.

To put that into perspective, the NBA generated $4.7 billion in revenue in 2015 and Premiere League $4.0 billion. I'd say if buying discs are your thing, sit back, relax, and enjoy a hobby whose death has been greatly exaggerated for about a decade now...

http://degonline.org/wp-content/uplo...tion_Final.pdf

[Musicguy]

This thread is very funny, since most people have no access to studio financial data and can only give their own opinion as if it's fact. No one here really knows what's going on do they

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Blu-ray sales were slightly up, but not enough to offset people's move to streaming and digital. But hey, people keep saying physical media isn't slowly dying, despite drops every quarter.

Slowing down and less mainstream than the DVD boom is not the same as dying.

/forthe100thtime

[Cranston37]

Originally Posted by Musicguy

This thread is very funny, since most people have no access to studio financial data and can only give their own opinion as if it's fact. No one here really knows what's going on do they

Why don't you consider the financial data found in the quarterly numbers from the DEG to be fact?

[Cranston37]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Slowing down and less mainstream than the DVD boom is not the same as dying.

/forthe100thtime

Yes. I would also add that the only segment of the physical market that is slowing down are the discs that are 480p. The ones 1080p and 4K are growing. I'd argue that's exactly what would have always happened in an era where all monitors sold are in HD, whether streaming was around or not...

[Fat Phil]

The UK blu-ray figures have been surprisingly good this year. Up 12% to date.

Last year HBO saw very strong sales in the UK & Germany (up 20% and 30% respectively.) So there isn't necessarily a slow down across the board.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Cranston37

Yes. I would also add that the only segment of the physical market that is slowing down are the discs that are 480p. The ones 1080p and 4K are growing. I'd argue that's exactly what would have always happened in an era where all monitors sold are in HD, whether streaming was around or not...

I'd say that's a sign enthusiasts are still buying a lot but casuals, who stuck with DVD for the minor price difference, have switched to subs and downloads. Which is expected and perfectly understandable. We're heading toward a laserdisc-esque split where mainstream consumers rent or subscribe and enthusiasts purchase BD/UHD editions. That's not "dying," unless you feel a deep need to be part of the mainstream (which many do).

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I'd say that's a sign enthusiasts are still buying a lot but casuals, who stuck with DVD for the minor price difference, have switched to subs and downloads. Which is expected and perfectly understandable. We're heading toward a laserdisc-esque split where mainstream consumers rent or subscribe and enthusiasts purchase BD/UHD editions. That's not "dying," unless you feel a deep need to be part of the mainstream (which many do).

"Heading towards" is the key word. Meaning, in the distant future when many people are no longer buying physical media anymore. Because as of right now, more people are buying Blu-ray today than people bought Laserdisc in its peak.
Because Laserdisc was never as popular or had as big of a market as blu-ray had.

I knew TWO people who bought Laserdisc back in its peak.
I know FIVE people who buy blu-ray today. One was one of the former Laserdisc buyers.

[Val Lewton]

Originally Posted by Cranston37

Looking at the DEG numbers, physical discs have sold $3.6 billion worth of product so far in 2016. If you carry that out through the rest of the year you can expect $4.8 billion worth of discs to sell in 2016.

To put that into perspective, the NBA generated $4.7 billion in revenue in 2015 and Premiere League $4.0 billion. I'd say if buying discs are your thing, sit back, relax, and enjoy a hobby whose death has been greatly exaggerated for about a decade now...

http://degonline.org/wp-content/uplo...tion_Final.pdf

You're actually misreading that a bit. Those numbers show US consumer spending in the millions, not billions. It's the box office spending that's measured in the billions.

The actual spending on physical media is down YOY(year over year) and EST, VOD, and subscription streaming services are up pretty significantly.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by Val Lewton

You're actually misreading that a bit. Those numbers show US consumer spending in the millions, not billions. It's the box office spending that's measured in the billions.

The actual spending on physical media is down YOY(year over year) and EST, VOD, and subscription streaming services are up pretty significantly.

No, he's right, everything's in millions besides the box office, and the physical sales are 3,000 something. 3,000*1,000,000 = 3 billion. :P

But yes, everything physical declined and everything streaming went up significantly. Looks like Netflix (and whatever small fraction came from Hulu, etc) were bigger than physical for the first time.

I don't know what "EST" means in the "sell-thru including est" category.

[Val Lewton]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

No, he's right, everything's in millions besides the box office, and the physical sales are 3,000 something. 3,000*1,000,000 = 3 billion. :P

But yes, everything physical declined and everything streaming went up significantly. Looks like Netflix (and whatever small fraction came from Hulu, etc) were bigger than physical for the first time.

You're right. I actually noticed that shortly after I posted.

[WhySoBlu?]

EST = Electronic Sell-Thru = Buying a movie on a digital service like VUDU or iTunes

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Val Lewton

You're actually misreading that a bit. Those numbers show US consumer spending in the millions, not billions. It's the box office spending that's measured in the billions.

The actual spending on physical media is down YOY(year over year) and EST, VOD, and subscription streaming services are up pretty significantly.

EST is about the same as Bluray at the moment I understand. Nowhere near enough to make up the numbers. Of course, add Subscription to that and things change buts that's not a fair comparison.

Spending on disc is of course down , as DVD is well past its peak. Bluray wise spending is up YOY like I said.

Not sure I would call single digits significant, especially when that growth has slowed considerably.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

No, he's right, everything's in millions besides the box office, and the physical sales are 3,000 something. 3,000*1,000,000 = 3 billion. :P

But yes, everything physical declined and everything streaming went up significantly. Looks like Netflix (and whatever small fraction came from Hulu, etc) were bigger than physical for the first time.

I don't know what "EST" means in the "sell-thru including est" category.

Bluray didn't decline. It is actually up around 7% YOY. So 'Everything Physical' is not accurate.

[Val Lewton]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

EST is about the same as Bluray at the moment I understand. Nowhere near enough to make up the numbers. Of course, add Subscription to that and things change buts that's not a fair comparison.

Spending on disc is of course down , as DVD is well past its peak. Bluray wise spending is up YOY like I said.

Not sure I would call single digits significant, especially when that growth has slowed considerably.

I haven't seen sales numbers for Blu-ray specifically, just physical media combined which continues to decline as streaming and digital continue to rise.

Do you have a source for Blu-ray sales specifically that I can check out?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Val Lewton

I haven't seen sales numbers for Blu-ray specifically, just physical media combined which continues to decline as streaming and digital continue to rise.

Do you have a source for Blu-ray sales specifically that I can check out?

Home video sales in the Bluray section. A member by the name of Bruceames very kindly links weekly sales so credit to him. Have a look.

[Val Lewton]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Home video sales in the Bluray section. A member by the name of Bruceames very kindly links weekly sales so credit to him. Have a look.

Interesting stuff. For me personally, I'm not concerned about the death of physical media. It's just not going to happen. There will always be a market for it no matter how small or niche of a market it becomes.

I primarily collect horror/exploitation/cult type stuff, and the sheer amount of titles being released is overwhelming. There are dozens of independent labels specializing in these kinds of titles. As a genre fan, things have never been better, despite the shrinking market for physical media. That's where I see the future of physical sales - in specialized content geared towards specific kind of collectors.