DVD and Blu-ray Sales Have Dropped By Half in Past 5 Years

According to the 2018 Theatrical Home Entertainent Market Environment (THEME) report, the Motion Picture Association of America shared data on physical media and streaming services in the US. One of the standout points in the report was the dramatic fall in DVD and Blu-ray sales.

In the US, sales of physical media (DVD and Blu-ray discs) have dropped from $10.3 billion in 2014 to $5.8 billion in 2018.

Meanwhile, digital media sales (electronic sell-through, video-on-demand, and subscription streaming) have risen significantly from $7.6 billion in 2014 to $17.5 billion in 2018.

This graphic from the report shows the breakdown by year:

The same trends applied globally, according to the THEME report. International physical media sales dropped from $14.9 billion in 2014 to $7.3 billion in 2018. Digital media sales rose from $8.1 billion in 2014 to $25.1 billion in 2018.

The study also showed that one time transactions (including renting from a brick and mortar store or a kiosk, or renting a video on demand) are losing popularity while subscriptions (both physical and digital) are showing significant increases in sales.

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