Despite the British economy falling back into recession, the video entertainment market remained steady in the first quarter of 2012, according to the British Video Association's latest announcement.

There was strong retail demand for Blu-ray Discs, which grew in volume by almost 18% and 3.5 million discs sold in the first quarter. This was accompanied by a 15% rise in value to £45.2 million which, combined with DVD sales, meant that physical discs accounted for 70% of total video market value and remain the most popular way for viewers to access video entertainment.

Demand for digital video continues to rise, with sales increasing more than 14% to £72.8 million. Overall the total value of consumer spending on video entertainment slipped 3%.

"The Q1 figures show that the video industry is holding its own against a tough economic background," says Lavinia Carey, Director General of the BVA. "Given the pinch on the consumer purse, illustrated by the 4% drop in ASDA's income tracker, it is heartening to see a 3.1% increase in the average weight of disc purchase, even though inflation remains relatively high. The rise in digital and Blu-ray sales is where we would hope to see growth and it is encouraging that our audience is increasingly enjoying viewing content on a range of formats, alongside the nation's traditional favourite - the physical DVD."

Story filed 30.04.12