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Netflix: Demand for Blu-ray and HD DVD Evenly Split, But Tiny
Fri Aug 24, 2007 at 02:02 PM ETTags: Netflix, Disc Sales (all tags)
The nation's leading online DVD rental service says demand among its customers for both high-def disc formats is equal, but (no surprise) it pales in comparison to standard-def DVD.
In an interview published today in the San Jose Mercury News, Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings says his company is seeing relatively low demand for either next-gen format, but -- in sharp contrast to disc sales figures (which show Blu-ray leading HD DVD by a factor of two) -- neither format is more popular than the other at Netflix.
"We carry all the Blu-ray titles and we carry all the HD DVD, so we're agnostic. And we think the solution in that market is to have the studios publish on both," said Hastings. "(Customer demand) is pretty evenly split between them (but it's) tiny, like a percent or something."
Netflix has allowed its members to add high-def discs on both formats to their rental queue since before their respective launches, starting with HD DVD in March 2006, and followed by Blu-ray in May of that year.
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- Related links:
- Can Blockbuster be KO'd by Netflix? [San Jose Mercuty News]
- So how's Netflix for online BD/HD rentals? [High-Def Digest Forums]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Netflix Adds Blu-Ray to Rental Menu (May 15, 2006)
- Netflix Adds HD-DVD Rentals (Mar 13, 2006)
- Netflix CEO Urges Studios to Support Both HD DVD, Blu-Ray (Apr 25, 2006)
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