Blu-ray, the cutting edge technology format for home video, and a relatively new entrant in India, already has a dominating share in the world home entertainment market.
The next-generation high-definition packaged-media format is projected to attain nearly 60% market share in 2014 and generate $13.1 billion in revenue. Currently the Blu-ray share in U.S.A is almost 10%.
Blu-ray is a new high-capacity disc format for DVD capable of storing and playing high definition content in home theatre setup. A Blu-ray disc can store five times the amount of data than a standard DVD resulting in unsuppressed picture & audio quality. Richer colours, high definition sound, easy navigation throughout the film, special hard coat layer that protects disc from scratches & damages makes Blu-ray the best home viewing source ever!
As the world consumers and all major studios shift to Blu-ray, the phenomenon is hitting the high-end Indian consumer and savvy Indian home video companies as well. BIG Home Video, a part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group-promoted Reliance BIG Entertainment has already secured market leadership by the consistent launch of titles on this cutting-edge Blu-ray technology.
BIG Home Video has already released more than 90 Blu-ray titles in English which includes The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Matrix, Batman, Body of Lies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Blood Diamond etc. BIG Home Video is now entering the domestic market with two of the biggest blockbusters of recent times; Jodhaa Akbar and Rock On!!
While the list of its titles of English films increasing month on month, this entry into domestic home video market is sure to take the company as the revolutionary champion for this format.
Kulmeet Makkar, CEO of Big Music & Home Entertainment, elaborates, “Our target is an audience who demands the best in content & quality. Blu-ray is a revolutionary improvement in terms of picture & sound quality, and advanced interactivity, delivering a whole new way to experience movies. We have a clear leadership in this segment.”
On the launch of Blu-ray of Hindi films, he says, “Clearly the Blu-ray market is growing. We have a well-thought out strategy for the domestic titles. We have kept considerably lower price points for the Hindi title Blu-rays. We want to grow the market. We will look at the response before deciding on future releases.”
Rock On!! is priced at Rs. 699 and the epic-romance Jodhaa Akbar is priced at Rs. 899. The biggest hits of recent time, the response to the DVDs and VCDs of these products have been exceptional. Blu-ray is expected to take the experience of these movies to a new level.
Aggressive promotional campaigns have been planned for the launch. There has already been a tie-up with Philips, where their newly launched Blu-ray players will be bundled with a Rock On!! Blu-ray.
It’s evident that Blu-ray has arrived and is growing in the Indian market. It promises to be a whole new experience of watching movies and the response suggests that it is living up to the promise.
