14/04/2008

April 2008 marks a watershed in the DVD’s UK history as the format celebrates 10 years in the country. In April 1998 Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) became the first studio to release films on DVD with the titles Jerry Maguire, Jumanji, A Few Good Men and Fly Away Home.

By the end of 1998, disc sales were discs were 200,000, with the figure climbing to 4 million in 1999. Now, latest data published by the British Video Association (BVA), reveals that a whopping 248 million DVDs were sold in 2007 and 60.7 million have already been sold in 2008. High-definition discs have also become popular, with sales exceeding 550,000 in 2008.

BVA Director General Lavinia Carey said:“As we celebrate ten years of DVD, we are delighted to see that the format is continuing to go from strength to strength, while developing new channels to deliver content to our audiences. Our figures demonstrate that DVD is showing resilience even in a difficult economic market, with sales of high-definition discs now exceeding the 1.5 million unit mark and standard definition experiencing a 9.3% increase in volume growth last year, whilst Q1 2008 is already up by 3.3%.”

“We have seen the new Hi-Def disc format adding value to the market, with its groundbreaking bonus features, superlative picture and sound quality, bringing unparalleled enjoyment and choice to the consumer. We expect to see the market for DVD and Blu-ray continue to grow in value and volume, as the public demonstrate their commitment to pre-recorded discs as the preferred choice of home entertainment,” she added.