Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is leading the way in sales of movies and other content on the surging Blu-ray format. Ever since the competing high-definition format HD-DVD went defunct in 2007, Blu-ray has steadily climbed into the driver's seat of disc-based content sales. While traditional DVD sales still dwarf Blu-ray sales, the high-def format is gaining sold ground. With it, Best Buy has become the format's best friend.The first quarter of 2009 say Blu-ray disc sales increased 72% year-over-year from the same 2008 period. While Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has been the largest seller of traditional DVDs for quite a while, competitor Best Buy is leading the pack in Blu-ray sales. The question is this: will Wal-Mart start trying to take the Blu-ray sales lead away from Best Buy?
It sure needs to try. If Wal-Mart wants to be the top choice for consumer electronics purchases, leading the sales of the only high-def disc format would seem to be integral to that plan. Add to that online retailers and Wal-Mart has a bit of an uphill battle in front if it chooses to be ultra-aggressive in Blu-ray availability and pricing. Although regular DVD is still where it's at, Blu-ray is coming on strong. Wal-Mart needs to catch the wave Best Buy is riding high at the moment.
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