El Segundo, Calif. – Combined consumer spending on Blu-ray Discs
3D (BD3D) in the U.S., U.K., Germany and France will grow 533 percent in 2011
from 2010, according to forecasts from market analysts
.
According to new research from the firm, sales to consumers of BD3D
in the collective territories will reach $213.9 million this year, up sixfold
from $33.8 million in the 2010 launch year of the format.
That would cover the sale of approximately 7.5 million BD3Ds, up
from 1.1 million discs sold to consumers a year ago.
Looking further forward to 2014, IHS said consumer spending on
BD3D should reach $909 million on 41 million disc sales, more than four times the
2011 forecast.
“Consumers are snapping up BD3D titles because of a number of
positive occurrences in the home 3-D segment,” said Richard Baxter, research
analyst, video, at IHS. “These developments include increasing consumer
awareness of 3-D technology, rising 3-D hardware sales and an expanding catalog
of 3-D films for the home environment. Meanwhile, the arrival of more BD3D
titles in retail stores will enhance the technology’s profile among consumers
and encourage 3-D hardware adoption. BD3D-enabled households are also likely to
buy more BD3D titles if they have a larger slate to choose from.”
BD3D-enabled households are defined as homes having a 3D TV
connected to either a Blu-ray Disc 3D player or to a PlayStation 3 video game
console with the required glasses.
The BD3D titles tabulated in the study confirm to the Blu-ray
Disc Association BD3D standard, and exclude earlier 3D discs required anaglyph (red/green)
glasses.
IHS said the increased catalog of BD3D titles is an important
factor in boosting demand for home 3D.
The number of titles at retail was limited until September 2010,
when more BD3D titles began to hit retail stores.
Movie studios are expected to offer more than 65 titles for the
U.S. market this year, HIS said. Disney alone is planning to release at least
15 titles on BD3D, including “Tron Legacy” and “Tangled,” along with “Beauty
and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” which have been converted from 2D to 3D.
These Disney titles will offer further incentive to upgrade to
home 3D hardware.
Of the markets used in the study, the U.S. represented the
largest base of sales, but the three European countries are expected to show
significant growth.
The U.S. accounted for 75.2 percent of consumer spending on BD3D
at $160.8 million, up from $28.4 million last year. U.S. consumers will buy 5.7
million BD3Ds this year at an average per-title price of $28.33, compared to
the roughly 900,000 titles bought in 2010 at the higher price of $31.09, IHS
said.
Some 3.2 million U.S. households in 2011 will be BD3D-enabled,
compared to 790,000 last year, with the number expected to exceed 22.5 million
in 2014.
The U.K., which is expected to have about 60 BD3D titles
available by the end of 2011, will be the second-largest BD3D market of the
four Western territories this year, IHS said. Consumer spending there will
reach $25 million, up from $2.5 million last year. By 2014, spending will reach
$91.2 million.
Germany follows in third place with $15.8 million in BD3D
spending predicted by the firm, while France’s volume is targeted at $12.3
million.
By 2014, consumer spending in Germany will reach $88.9 million,
compared to $46.8 million in France.
