JUNE 2008 BEACONSony Plans to Triple Sales of Blu-Ray Devices
Plan is to try and retain current market share
<Nikkei-TOKYO><June 4, 2008>The Nikkei is reporting that Sony Corp. plans to at least triple the sales of its Blu-Ray devices, including both players and recorders, to a total of 2.8 million units in 2008. If it achieves its goal, then Sony will succeed in maintaining its share of the Blu-Ray market, which is said to be 40% currently.
Last year the company sold more than 800,000 units of freestanding Blu-Ray models along with another 9.24 million PlayStation 3 video game units, which play Blu-Ray discs. The worldwide market is expected to more than triple to 7 million units.
Now that Toshiba’s HD-DVD is out of the market, industry analysts expect momentum to build behind the Blu-Ray format. Sony intends to stake its market share claim by broadening its assortment of products at a variety of price points. They are said to plan on strengthening ties with other manufacturers perhaps to create some supply relationships.
In other Blu-Ray related news, Sony has partnered with Walt Disney’s Japanese subsidiary, Twentieth Century Fox, and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. to form a Blu-Ray promotion group in Japan.
The first meeting of this auspicious group will be next Tuesday and the goal is to promote the sales of Blu-Ray software in Japan.