UK Blu-ray Sales Figures Show Huge Growth.

Finding a Blu-ray disc inside your stocking this Christmas morning looks likely in the UK, as it has been reported the format has reached record sales figures.  The recent doom-and-gloom economic news has not perturbed shoppers, as they have purchased 462,500 Blu-ray movies during November - a 165% increase over October.   Although December's figures will obviously not be available until next month, it seems certain they'll climb again, thanks mainly to The Dark Knight initial sales of well in excess of 100,000 alone!

Obviously the benefit of improved picture and sound, the various innovative extra features Blu-ray offers, plus the far more reasonable prices the discs can be purchased for over this time last year has made a clear impression on the public.  Comparing this Blu-ray data to DVD sales data from the same period of its life, shows Blu-ray to be selling five times the amount DVD did.

These percentage figures will presumably be similar in the USA and this level of growth makes the estimation made earlier in the year by the Entertainment Merchants Association that Blu-ray will outsell DVD by 2012, and post sales figures in the region of $9 billion, considerably more likely.

Naturally, an increase in player sales has been noticed too, with sales expected to triple at the least during 2009 too.  This figure becomes even more impressive when you realise it doesn't include any potential PlayStation 3 sales either.  So if Blu-ray looks to have had a good 2008, it looks like 2009 will be even better!