Pricing on new releases of movie titles on Blu-ray Disc continued falling at the retail level in early 2009, as the average price now hovers at around $26. That's still noticeably higher than standard DVD packaged content (where volume sales leveled off a while ago), but less than where Blu-ray price points were even a year ago.
The falling prices, according to Adams Media Research, are coming amid one of the most challenging economies in decades where most consumers are thinking twice before making any nonessential purchases.
"I think the two major things working against Blu-ray are the recession and that the layman may not notice the difference [in quality] going from disc to disc," a chain product manager told AMR. "It's not [obvious] like it's tape to DVD."
Up until the final quarter of 2008, retail prices on Blu-ray new releases averaged about $29, while wholesale charges from the studios to retailers hovered in the $21–$24 category. AMR projects Blu-ray retail price cuts will continue through 2013, when the price will average $22.09.
