M+E Daily

Blu-ray Player Sales Up 44% During Holidays

Unit sales of Blu-ray players during the 2009 holiday season were 44% higher than in 2008, but down 5% in value, as retailers slashed player prices by 34% over the five-week period, according to the NPD Group.

The average selling price of a Blu-ray player during the 2009 holidays was $151, NPD says.

While flat-panel TVs posted a 16% unit sales gain for the holiday period, the product category registered a decline in dollars of 12% — in line with its performance during most of 2009, NPD says. The average flat-panel TV sold for $525 during the holidays, a 25% reduction from 2008.

“Just cutting prices [last year] was not enough to guarantee successful sales results,” said NPD’s Stephen Baker. “Flat-panel TVs had a disappointing holiday because there wasn’t enough price-cutting on the right items.”

Overall, consumer technology retail sales in the U.S. (excluding videogame products and mobile phones) were $10.8 billion, representing a decline of less than 1% year-over-year.