Could Blu-Ray Have a Savior in Japan's Otaku?

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The future of Blu-Ray (BD) DVD discs, still widely used in Japan as a way to archive TV shows as well as personal pictures and videos, has consumers worried.

Sony Group, one of Japan's largest manufacturers with a 30 percent market share, announced in January that it would cease production of all digital media, including BD discs. The market leader, Verbatim Japan, immediately announced that it would continue production, even as demand continues to fall.

Despite such reassurances, fears remain that not just discs but also recorders will disappear in the near future.

No More Video Recordings?

On January 23, Sony Storage Media announced it would stop production of physical media such as BD and minidiscs in February. The company said it would produce no such products in the future.

Posts on social media from consumers who had placed their trust in Sony felt like a collective outcry. Many misunderstood, thinking that the announcement meant that BD would disappear altogether.

"It would be a big hassle if they disappeared. I hope another company starts making them," one social media user posted.

Anter lamented, "We're losing all of our options for long-term storage. It seems like the era of keeping video recordings may be ending?"

After Sony said it would exit the business, other firms found themselves trying to alleviate market concerns and clear up misconceptions.

Verbatim Japan, a subsidiary of Taiwan's CMC Magnetics, which is one of the world's largest digital disc makers, received a flood of inquiries about the future of BDs. The company hastily issued a release a week after Sony's on January 31, stating that it would "continue to produce Blu-Ray, DVD, and CD media."

Decades of Optical Storage Dominance

As Japan's second largest domestic manufacturer of BDs, Sony's departure will have a large impact.

Sony developed the compact disc (CD) with Dutch electronics maker Phillips, and they jointly launched the first CD player in 1982. The Japanese firm then worked with Panasonic and other makers to develop the technology and standards for BD. In 2003, Sony began selling cartridge-type storage, and since then it has been an industry leader in multilayer optical media storage.

As to why Sony ended its 23-year run producing BDs in February, the company said: "We made this decision after assessing the market environment and prospects for future growth. We sincerely appreciate your continued loyal support."

Panasonic quit the market two years ahead of Sony, ceasing production in February 2023. Japan's third-largest producer Maxell stopped making BDs in 2008 and now outsources production to a foreign maker.

Industry sources agree that the market is shrinking dramatically and there are no prospects for recovery. Sales figures aren't public, but figures from market research firm BCN show that in 2024 BD sales fell to 60 percent of their peak in 2013.

"With this market environment it is unavoidable that manufacturers are ceasing production," said BCN analyst Eiji Mori.

TVs Use Streaming Over Blu-Ray Players

Why is there no stopping the fall in demand?

Arguably the biggest reason is online streaming services, which are teeming with rich content including movies, dramas, anime, and sports.

"It is said that people are abandoning TV, but the demand for TVs as receiving and viewing devices is not declining. Viewers don't use them for watching content broadcast over the air, but rather are shifting to using TVs that are connected to the internet to watch streaming services," Mori said.

Cloud Storage Over Burning Discs

Another factor cited by Panasonic when it exited the market was the shift to storing data online "in the cloud." It's now easy to save videos and pictures on online servers. As consumers move away from the manual practice of "burning data to a disc," it is only natural that sales of DVDs and BDs decline.

This decline was actually forecast by disc manufacturers over ten years ago. The Japan Recording-Media Industries Association (JRIA), an industry organization, stated that "the trend of storing data online is accelerating, while the market position of physical storage media is weakening." The group disbanded in March 2013.

Will Blu-Ray Recorders Be the Next Casualty?

"I'm really worried about how I'll be able to record and play back video in the future. How long will BD recorders be made, and will playback devices be supported?"

When Sony announced it would exit BD production, some users voiced concerns over hardware support as well.

According to data from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), shipments of BD recorders (including playback devices) were only 1.04 million devices in 2024. This represents an 85 percent fall from their peak of 6.78 million devices in 2011.

The first two months of 2025 saw declines of almost 20 percent from a year earlier. It appears unavoidable that shipments will drop below 1 million units for the entire year.

The fates of discs and recorders are linked. As the production of BDs decreases, the possibility that manufacturers stop making recorders can't be denied.

"The number of users that connect disc drives to their TVs is increasing. Together with the pressure from streaming services, there are few new recorder models being released. With almost no factors to spur demand, we may see manufacturers quietly cease production," said Mori.

Sony Maintains Current Recorder Lineup

Sony currently sells four models of BD recorders via its online store. When asked about about whether it had any plans to cease sales, the company responded only "We are currently continuing sales."

The electronics maker declined to respond when asked about manufacturing targets or introducing new models. Sony is Japan's third-largest maker with a domestic share of about 13 percent, according to BCN.

Panasonic Looking to Expand

On the other hand, top maker Panasonic, which holds 46 percent market share, emphasized that it "currently has no plans to cease production" of BD recorders. The company introduced two new models in February of this year.

Panasonic is working to increase market share with features such as the ability for users to watch recorded or live shows on their smartphones even while they're away from home.

"Demand for older models of recorders is falling, but our competitiveness and profitability are increasing. We hope to create demand by studying market trends closely and offering ways to enjoy content that only we can provide," the company said.

A Niche for Blu-Ray Survival

There is an argument that BD recorders will never completely disappear.

"Some content is not featured as part of streaming services, and BD demand from 'otaku' could also remain," Mori said, referring to Japanese fans who are obsessed with aspects of pop culture.

*A poster inside Shinsaibashi Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line. (©Sankei by Koji Taido)*

According to research by Panasonic, BD recorders are particularly popular in Japan among those who do "oshi-katsu," a form of intense fandom for individual celebrities or bands. The company reports that over 50 percent of women in their 20s to 50s say that "recorders are an essential item for enjoying 'oshi-katsu.'"

In particular, Panasonic says that models that can record live broadcasts on specified channels without the need for manually entering the time are "popular particularly among 'oshi-katsu' users."

'Otaku' to the Rescue?

Seventeen percent of 23,000 respondents to a survey of men and women aged 15 to 69 conducted in January said they do "oshi-katsu," according to Create Dream Global (CDG). The data firm investigates consumer trends related to the practice.

Expanding this result to Japan's overall population produces an estimated 14 million "oshi-katsu" participants.

Furthermore, individuals who practice "oshi-katsu" are estimated to spend about 250,000 yen per year on related activities, making the total market about 3.5 trillion yen.

It is said that "otaku" spare no expense in their fan activities. It might not be far-fetched to say that "oshi-katsu" is the last bastion of Japan's BD recorder culture.

Author: Masaya Murayama, The Sankei Shimbun

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