Blu-ray sales were up 66.3 percent to $161 million in the third quarter of 2009 and 83 percent year-to-date to $568 million, according to the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG)

There were more than 3.3 million Blu-ray players sold through the first three quarters of 2009, an increase of 13 percent over the same period in 2008, according DEG.

Blu-ray settop player sales have grown 112 percent through the third quarter of 2009, with Blu-ray players, including PlayStation 3, now in 11.7 million households. About 80 percent of Blu-ray devices are BD-Live capable, according to DEG.

In the first half of 2009, sales of Blu-ray discs rose 91 percent, while Blu-ray hardware sales grew nearly 25 percent and surpassed two million units, according to DEG.

“We’re enthusiastic about the continued promise of Blu-ray Disc with more entry-level players coming to market and the upcoming strong slate of box office blockbusters,” says Amy Jo Smith, executive director of DEG.

Consumer Spending Down

Overall consumer spending in the third quarter of 2009 in the pre-recorded entertainment category, which includes DVD, Blu-ray, and digital distribution, was down 3.2 percent to $4 billion compared to the same period in 2008. Digital distribution rose 18 percent to $420 million for the quarter and is up 20 percent year-to-date to $1.4 billion.

“We are pleased to see an uptick in the number of consumer transactions, indicating a continuing strong demand for home entertainment product,” says Ron Sanders, president of DEG and Warner Home Video. “We are also encouraged by the dramatic growth of Blu-ray and the increases in digital distribution and rental in the third quarter.”

Blu-ray, proving to be home entertainment´s stand out performer in 2009, is accounting for 12 percent of all theatrical new release sales in the third quarter. The year´s best selling Blu-ray Disc titles, ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ and ‘Watchmen’, have each approached or surpassed 30 percent of consumer spending on Blu-ray Disc.

According to DEG, Blu-ray is now accounting for an average of 12 percent of packaged media sales for theatrical new releases. The year’s best selling Blu-ray Disc titles, ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ and ‘Watchmen’, have each approached or surpassed 30 percent of consumer spending on Blu-ray.