14:12 05 January 2013
The digital sales of music, games, and films have passed the £1billion mark for the first time. According to Entertainment Retailers Association, or ERA, £1.033 billion was spent on downloads through home computers, tablets, and smartphones.
Meanwhile, physical sales of DVDs, CDs, and computer games are in sharp decline; reportedly down by 17.6per centfor 2011.
“Breaching the £1billion barrier is an incredible achievement for the UK’s digital entertainment retailers and reflects their huge investment in new and innovative services,” said ERA chief Kim Bayley.
“Which means you can buy music, video and games literally at any time of the day and wherever you are.”
Meanwhile, BPI, a music industry trade body, has claimed that more and more consumers now prefer digital downloads. According to their records, there were 100.5million album sales in 2012.
Downloads were up by 14.8per cent, while album sales were down by 11.2per cent.
The top selling single in the UK wasreportedly “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye, featuring Kimbra.