Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Digital download sales top £1 billion

 

Robert de
Wednesday 02 January 2013 08:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Digital sales of music, games and films have broken the £1 billion barrier for the first time, according to new figures.

Research by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) shows shoppers spent £1.033 billion - an 11.4% rise - on downloads, with video games accounting for more than half that figure with sales of £552.2 million.

Physical sales of CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray and videogames still account for more than three quarters of the entertainment market, but sales fell by 17.6% compared to 2011.

ERA director general Kim Bayley said: "Breaching the £1 billion barrier is an incredible achievement for the UK's digital entertainment retailers and reflects their huge investment in new and innovative services which means you can buy music, video and games literally at any time of the day and wherever you are.

"At the same time I suspect many people will be surprised to learn just how resilient the physical business still is - with three quarters of entertainment sales still on disc.

"Downloads offer convenience and portability, but people still seem to value the quality and tangibility of a physical product."

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in