Authoring | 7:46 February 19, 2010 | Pete Dodd | Print this story

Blu-ray volumes up for Technicolor in 'a challenging' 2009

Blu-ray volumes for replicator Technicolor increased 38% year-on-year in the second half of 2009 to 36 million units, helping offset a 22% decline in DVD manufacture to 622 million units, the company said.

Technicolor reported a full-year 2009 loss of €342 million on revenue of €3.5 billion. But margins and cash generation in DVD activities continued to improve, the French technology and media services company said, as a result of “substantial and ongoing” cost reductions, efficiency gains and an improved product mix.

Despite continuing pressure on DVD volumes, revenue improved between the third and fourth quarter of 2009 for Technicolor’s Entertainment Services division, driven by strong growth in content creation, theatrical services and market share gains.

Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said 2009 was an “extremely challenging year” that saw Technicolor achieve significant progress. “While the financial restructuring clearly affected our ability to win material new customers, we were able to put 2009 to good use in order to significantly improve our operational profitability and cash generation,” he said in a statement.

He added that the recently announced contract with Warner Bros., to begin in the third quarter of this year, as well as “significant awards in the last few weeks from a US satellite provider and a European telco for set top boxes and gateways, provide positive signs for the year to come”.