Global demand for recordable Blu-ray discs is expected to expand sevenfold from fiscal 2009 to 310 million discs in fiscal 2012, according data released on Wednesday by Japan Recording-Media Industries Association (JRIA).

JRIA said that the global demand for recordable Blu-ray discs reached 44 million pieces in 2009, a 244% increase compared to 2008. JRIA estimates that the demand will reach 98 million piecies this year and the 310 million piecies by 2012.

In Japan alone, demand for Blu-ray discs for recording television programs and other data is projected to reach 210 million discs in fiscal 2012 to March 2013, said the Japan Recording-Media Industries Association.

JRIA also expects an increased demand for BD-R/RE discs in Europe by 2012, as the Japanese hardware makers are expanding their sales channels for BD recorders in the territory.

	2009	2010 forecast	2011 forecast	2010 forecast
Japan	38 million (253% increase compared to 2008)	81 million (213% increase compared to 2009)	143 million (177% increase compared to 2010)	210 million (147% increase compared to 2011)
Other regions	6 million (200% increase compared to 2008)	17 million (283% increase compared to 2009)	42 million (247% increase compared to 2010)	100 million (238% increase compared to 2011)
Worldwide	44 million (244% increase compared to 2008)	98 million (223% increase compared to 2009)	185 million (189% increase compared to 2010)	310 million (168% increase compared to 2011)

Global demand for recordable DVDs (DVD+R/-R) is expected to decline 18 percent from fiscal 2009 to 4.57 billion discs in fiscal 2012, the association said. JRIA believes that it's time consumers to use to BD-R media instead of DVDs.

The popularity of 8cm recordable DVDs are also hit by the expansion of digital video cameras that have replaced these mini-DVDs with HDD and memory cards. The demand for 8cm DVDs is expected to be just 8 million piecies in 2012, 57% less than the demand in 2011.

Demand for CD-Rs for storing music and other data is projected to plunge 40 percent from fiscal 2009 to 3.3 billion discs in fiscal 2012 as smaller portable music players become more widely used.