Blu-ray had an 81% “HD on disc” market share in March, which was the first complete month after the demise of HD DVD (which took the last 19% according to Redhill Group).
DIRECTV, Inc., the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, is now offering local HD programming to customers in the Augusta, Ga. designated market area. The following broadcast networks are available in HD: WJBF/ABC, WRDW/CBS and WFXG/FOX. DIRECTV hopes to add additional HD stations as they become available. With the addition of Augusta, DIRECTV now offers local HD broadcast channels in 82 cities, representing more than 77 percent of U.S. TV households.
DIRECTV continues its expansion of HD programming with the launch of local HD channels in Augusta and will add 39 more HD local channel markets by the end of 2008, when DIRECTV will provide local HD broadcast channels in 121 cities, representing more than 88 percent of U.S. TV households. DIRECTV leads the industry in the delivery of HD and now offers more than 130 HD channels.
DVD TOWN
What’s New: By Henning Molbaek
Blu-ray had an 81% “HD on disc” market share in March, which was the first complete month after the demise of HD DVD (which took the last 19% according to Redhill Group).
The first quarter of 2008 saw 4.9 million HD movies on disc sold. 3.8 million of those were Blu-ray titles. Since inception, 9.8 million HD DVD and Blu-ray movies have been sold.
An estimated total of 3.5 million Blu-ray players had been sold in the U.S. by the end of 2007. That puts an average of three movies in every Blu-ray owner’s home. Michael Nathanson, analyst at Bernstein Research, said that at the same point in the standard DVD adoption curve, as many as 30 titles were attached to each household with a player. The low number for the HD format is by many people (including Bernstein Research) believed to be because the vast majority of Blu-ray players are in homes with BD-embedded PlayStation 3 video game consoles.
Source: Redhill Group, Bernstein Research