Sony has announced it will gradually stop delivering Blu-ray disc recorders starting this month, following a continuous decline in market demand caused by the rise of streaming services.
On 10 February, Sony, a leading Japanese electronics manufacturer, announced it will begin phasing out shipments of Blu-ray disc recorders starting this month, citing a steady decline in consumer demand amid the growing popularity of streaming platforms.
Sony stated that Blu-ray, once regarded as the next-generation high-definition video recording medium after DVDs, capable of storing and playing large amounts of high-resolution video, gained widespread popularity during the 2000s. During that period, many electronics manufacturers entered the market, with Sony launching Blu-ray recorders in 2003, ahead of many competitors.
However, data from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association shows that deliveries of Blu-ray recorders from all companies in Japan fell to just 620,000 units last year, down from a peak of nearly 6.4 million units in 2011, reflecting a consumer shift toward online content viewing.
Source: NHK