DVD and Blu-ray sales continue to nosedive

DVD and Blu-ray sales continue to nosedive
(Image credit: Cambridge Audio)

Video streaming services might be losing subscribers and getting more expensive, but they are still the future of home entertainment. Here's more proof: sales of video discs continue to drop, according to US statistics released by VideoScan / MediaPlayNews (via flatpanelshd).

Ultra HD Blu-ray is taking a larger share of that market, but there's no getting around the fact the market is shrinking. UHD Blu-rays accounted for 13.4 per cent of all video discs sold in the US in the second quarter of 2022 – that's the highest since the format launched.

But this growth comes at the expense of regular Blu-ray discs.

UHD and standard Blu-rays account for almost 50 per cent of the US market. The rest are DVDs.

Monetarily speaking, US video disc sales amounted to $3.29 billion in 2019, $2.45 billion in 2020 and $1.97 billion in 2021. The first quarter of 2022 saw this drop another 19 per cent. Plot these figures on a graph and you can see where this might be headed. 

Still, never say never. Vinyl and even CDs have made something of a comeback, though admittedly both formats are still far from their peak. Could video discs see a similar resurgence? Let us know in the comments below.

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Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.

  • manicm
    There is absolutely no way video discs will make a resurgence, if only for cost reasons. Blu-ray prices are still relatively high, and 4k prices border on misappropriation.

    You cannot compare CDs to video discs simply because the latter are often unaffordable.
    Reply
  • Bloke
    On the contrary - as Big Tech starts to censor/ban more and more films for political various reasons and removes said films from their rosters, hard copies will become more sought after.
    Reply
  • 12th Monkey
    I'm amazed that in 2022, half of US discs sales are still DVDs.
    Reply
  • Bloke
    Cost and availability. Blu-rays are still 2-3 times the price, discounted less and with limited availability for many shows.
    Reply
  • Terry Webb
    Bloke said:
    On the contrary - as Big Tech starts to censor/ban more and more films for political various reasons and removes said films from their rosters, hard copies will become more sought after.
    I was thinking the same when I read this news item. It's sad and dangerous when some people are willing to sacrifice variety and freedom of choice just for the sake of convenience. And let's not forget TV programmes as well.
    Reply
  • 12th Monkey
    Bloke said:
    Blu-rays are still 2-3 times the price
    Not sure where you are shopping - look at the prices for the first film, and Poltergeist lower down.

    Amazon.co.uk: 4k blu ray films: DVD & Blu-ray
    Reply
  • Bloke
    Those US disc sales are unlikely to be full price purchases from Amazon UK. They'll be bargain bucket sales in Walmart et al.
    Reply
  • 12th Monkey
    Where's your double-blind proof? :)
    Reply
  • Bloke
    :D(y)
    Reply
  • no-name-123
    What hi fi is registered here in the uk, © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. yet the article keeps refering to 'In the us'. How about we get some input from Amazon you-kay or
    HMV you-kay
    Reply