- Gross sales of discs, together with 4K Blu-ray, fall for an additional 12 months
- There was an general decline of 23.4% year-over-year in 2024
- Subscription streaming providers, equivalent to Netflix, grew by 25.3%
Gross sales of 4K Blu-ray discs (our high format selection for testing the finest TVs), Blu-ray discs and DVDs declined for an additional 12 months in 2024, falling under $1 billion for the primary time within the US. Digital film gross sales additionally fell throughout that point, including but extra woes for Hollywood studios.
As reported by FlatpanelsHD, the sale of bodily media codecs fell after a 23.4% year-over-year decline, which is a file low after a peak for bodily media gross sales of $16 billion in 2005. The 4K Blu-ray format accounts for a rising portion of the declining disc gross sales, although it has seen its gross sales lower yearly since 2018. Digital film gross sales, from locations equivalent to Apple TV, fell 10.2% from the earlier 12 months.
Apparently, figures counsel that the house leisure market is definitely rising, up 25.3% from the earlier 12 months. That features income from the finest streaming providers equivalent to Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and extra. At $57.17 billion, it’s seven instances bigger than the US theatrical field workplace.
This information comes after a 12 months of ups and downs for bodily media in 2024, which noticed Finest Purchase and Disney determine to stop promoting and distribution of discs, solely to be adopted shortly thereafter by an settlement between Sony and Disney for the previous to take over bodily media distribution for the latter. LG additionally introduced it might not manufacture 4K Blu-ray gamers, whereas retailers equivalent to Fred Meyers and GameStop introduced plans to inventory 4K Blu-rays.
Are you lacking out?
We right here at TechRadar are followers of 4K Blu-ray as we use them to check TVs, together with the finest OLED TVs and even the finest soundbars. That’s as a result of taking part in a disc on one of many finest 4K Blu-ray gamers permits you to get pleasure from your favourite motion pictures and TV reveals with superior image and sound high quality in comparison with streaming.
Once you stream from providers equivalent to Netflix in 4K, the standard stage is definitely nearer to a 1080p HD Blu-ray. The typical video bit fee for a 4K Blu-ray is 128mbps, whereas 4K streaming averages 18mbps, maxing out at 40mbps on providers like Apple TV. When I examined Blu-ray vs streaming, nonetheless, the impression was felt most with audio: streaming providers compress Dolby Atmos soundtracks, whereas the uncompressed model current on Blu-rays sounds a lot clearer and extra highly effective.
One other challenge with streaming providers is that you simply don’t ‘personal’ the flicks and TV reveals they carry. I’ve persistently discovered examples of films I get pleasure from migrating from one streaming service to a different (often ones I don’t subscribe to) or disappearing altogether. It’s an extremely irritating scenario that doesn’t occur should you personal a bodily copy.
The final 12 months was a rollercoaster for 4K Blu-ray and this doom-and-gloom information of falling gross sales hasn’t acquired 2025 off to the perfect begin, however I nonetheless stay eager for 2025. Our readers have proven robust curiosity in 4K Blu-ray, a lot in order that we’ve launched a month-to-month roundup of a few of the finest 4K Blu-ray releases named the ‘Blu-ray Bounty’, with our newest version from January 2025 out there to learn on the hyperlink.
For anybody fed up with rising streaming costs, or perhaps trying to dip their toe into the world of significant dwelling theater, 4K Blu-ray is a superb possibility. Should you’re solely centered on streaming, you’re lacking out on the great world of 4K Bu-ray.