A new study that may have some industry observers scratching their heads finds that several billion dollars is likely being disregarded by both retailers and Hollywood studios in the short-term by a failure to raise price points of day-and-date Blu-ray Disc titles, as well of Blu-ray VOD services (where such services even exist). Price rises could be justified due to “pent-up demand” for new Blu-ray content by consumers, according to the Oliver Wyman study.
Blu-ray discs already run several dollars higher than identical titles on standard DVD, but some distributors could be unwittingly disregarding as much as $10 billion over the next two years by failing to factor in consumers’ alleged “thirst” for first-release Blu-ray movie titles, Oliver Wyman said in a statement.
The study did not say why Blu-ray players and day-and-date title releases, therefore, are not in the midst of a selling frenzy right now, if such a thirst for all things Blu-ray truly does exist. It also did not appear to acknowledge the existence of an increasingly downbeat U.S. economy at the moment.
