Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending November 16th, 2008
by Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Nov 21st 2008 at 10:16PM
After staying in the double digits in regards to market share for all of October, for the second week in the row Blu-ray only manages just under 10% of the top 20 home media market share, according to Nielsen VideoScan courtesy of Home Media Magazine. The good news for Blu-ray is that sales were up 83.49 percent to over $20 million, which is up from about $11 million last week. The fact that Blu-ray didn't manage more of the market is what we'll refer to the panda affect. While we're not exactly sure how well Kung Fu Panda did on Blu-ray -- because the title market share chart only listed the top 10 this week -- last week it was less than 6 percent. Assuming this trend continued, and the fact that the panda movie held the number one and number three position on the DVD charts, it appears Blu-ray's number one title, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, was no match for it. Next week we'd be willing to bet we see much of the same because while WALL-E has a much broader appeal then animated fighting bears, it probably won't be enough to break Blu over 10 percent all on its own.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ropeburn @ Nov 21st 2008 11:10PM
hey Ben, maybe you didn't see Murphs' post from earlier today
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/21/dvd-sales-also-feeling-the-pinch-down-4-on-the-year/
I'm not sure how the numbers all shake out and I'm familiar
with how stats can sound all jazzy if you just look at the right numbers
but are DVD sales up or down?
I guess they're up from last week.... and that panda affect is awesome!
....as for the wall-e affect.... we'll have to wait and see....
if I get a kung-fu panda blu-ray for Chrismakuah I'm gonna be pissed!
squiggleslash @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:28AM
The problems with the Nielsen VideoScan figures are that they (a) take a very small sample (seven days of sales, allowing a single release to have a disproportionate effect on them) and (b) compare to the previous time period, rather than a comparable time period (such as "this time last year")
Interestingly I'm sure it'd help EHD/Warner's pro-Blu-ray agenda to get hold of figures that compare to last year's sales. They'll probably have to send money Nielsen's way though rather than just republish Home Media's take on them. Perhaps it's time for EHD to ask Warner for some of that Blu-ray promotion budget.
Spiza @ Nov 23rd 2008 3:00AM
Comparable to last year wouldn't help on a weekly basis either because of what title comes out on a certain week. They could release quarterly data though. We never got any numbers on Blu-Ray last year though, only that HD DVD vs Blu-Ray chart
Mr. E @ Nov 21st 2008 11:28PM
We got Kung Fu Panda and Wall*E on Blu-ray primarily for my young daughter, but I'm really enjoying them both. They are the best kind of animation that really cross generational boundaries... Except maybe for the jaded late teens, of course.
craig WB @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:47AM
Pixar films always cross generational borders thats what makes them so successful.
Multi-format-mayhem @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:45AM
Cross generational movies are fine, to a point.....but only to a point.
My biggest beef with American Hollywood films is how in their pursuit of the biggest possible audience they've almost entirely stopped making films squarely aimed at adults in the 18+ market.
I think Sin City or Kill Bill were the last 18+'s I've seen and that's a fair while back.
Anyhoo.
$20 million this week might have been more impressive if it wasn't for the fact it's clearly a week that brought out the buyers (as the DVD number shows).
It's also undeniable that we are seeing all numbers firm up due to the approach of the holidays & X-Mas.
There will be 2 more big spikes (Batman TDK & Wanted) this year - but I suspect that overall the year will continue to underwhelm massively.
3 hooks to hang the format from this year simply isn't enough (the other being Iron Man).
We've just seen Warner publicly state that
“We think this is a do-or-die time for Blu-ray,” said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. “We must get it established as a favorite holiday item.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/business/21dvd.html?_r=2&hp
How bad must things be for them to talk like that publicly
(and very recently, note the article is dated 20th Nov)?
It's not exactly a vote of confidence to be talking publicly like that to the media.
Where's the evidence Blu-ray is "“established as a favorite holiday item”, anywhere?
Even the PS3 gang refuse to buy unless the movie is targeted precisely at them
(and even then, even with Nielsen's dodgy stats, those sales remain a short-lived blip compared to DVD - and the BDA are so obviously terrified of letting anyone know what 'legs' any title has as they refuse to allow 6mth or 12mth sales numbers to see the light of - public- day).
As for Warner? Anyone getting a sense of deja vu,?
Once we have this year end I don't hold much hope for the numbers doing much but taking a dive.
There are a couple of movies I can imagine selling well slated to appear (the new Terminator and new Star Trek, if they release them) but besides that?
The coming economic freeze is undoubtedly going to have it's way for some time starting straight after X-Mas.
Count on it.
Spiza @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:43AM
Their percentage stats on titles is stupid when they don't show the new releases.
freighttrain2126 @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:17AM
How did Hankcock get the top spot in market share, I thought it wasn't even out yet?
Multi-format-mayhem @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:02PM
Uh oh.
I see Hancock Blu-ray's down as having a 25th Nov release date.
I wonder if we've been given next weeks numbers by mistake?
LOL
Caught out cheating on the (already 'funny' loaded) Nielson numbers.
Maybe they are corporate buys (a part of this tale which has yet to see the light of day) that have gone in a week too early?
I wonder if that means Hancock's numbers are going to be depressed from what they were supposed to have been when it is released?
Can you say manipulative cheats?
Clark @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:26PM
Well, I think I remember hearing that Best Buy was offering Hancock two week early.
Spiza @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:57AM
Clark is right. Best Buy had a "private shopping event" on the 9th and they were allowed to sell Hanock and Kung Fu Panda early. I see MFM is still laughable though.
Multi-formatmayhem @ Nov 23rd 2008 7:35AM
So, it was all down to a private event, eh, and yet it makes the charts?
None of that strikes anyone as saying something (either way) about this?!
(spiza, mind none of that bile starts to choke you, eh?)
Ben @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:46AM
Multi-formatmayhem,
As you and many have pointed out, percentages can be deceiving. That chart indicates how many Blu-ray discs were sold compared to DVD. So if there was a private event and at that event 10 Blu-ray discs were sold and one DVD, it would be 90%.
Spiza @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:03PM
Your post makes no sense MFM. I think you may have seen "privite shopping event" in quotes right? It was kind of like those exclusive credit card offers you get. My guess would be that you're from the UK though and wouldn't have known about the event, but pretty much anybody could have gone and there were lines reported from several people at different locations. It was like an extremely mini BF sale that they just only advertised to reward zone members.
"None of that strikes anyone as saying something (either way) about this?!"
I don't even know where you are going with this. The demographic for the sale would have probably geared to peole who were tech nerds (I don't know didn't go to the local one here), and they are more likely to have blu-ray and care about an early release enough to go to best buy on a sunday night.
(spiza, mind none of that bile starts to choke you, eh?)
My first and second sentences were facts, and the third was about me laughing at what you post. There is no bile factor when I laugh. You should feel proud that you're entertaining.
Multi-format-mayhem @ Nov 23rd 2008 1:16PM
OK, if 'private event' is normal to you guys then fair enough.
spiza, I feel most humbled, highly gratified and deeply enriched knowing that I moved you to amusement on this occasion. ;)
(2d text on a screen can limit our meaning so badly, eh)
AndrewG @ Nov 23rd 2008 6:03AM
Oh is bluray still being made, I thought it's death was shorty after hd dvd, ok....