Six of the ten best-seller DVD titles of 2008 in the UK are aimed at the children and family market and account for 63% of the Top 10, according to figures published by the British Video Association. The children’s market accounted for almost 20% of the 250 million discs sold last year.

DVD sales stand at 110 million so far in 2008, with the children’s sector accounting for over 17% of total volumes. Year to date the sector is already nearly 9% up on the same period in 2007.

Charts supplied by the BVA, using data from the Official UK Chart Company, show that Ratatouille, released in February, is the best-selling DVD of the year so far, selling over 1.2 million copies by the end of June. Stardust, released in March, claimed second place in the league table with almost 1 million copies sold. The best-selling children’s DVD of the last decade has been Shrek 2, selling 3.2 million units.

Lavinia Carey, Director General of the British Video Association says: “Children’s videos are an important part of the market, accounting for a large proportion of all non-film titles sold in the UK. They offer parents a safe and secure viewing environment for children, limiting exposure to inappropriate behaviour and advertisements.”

A recent study conducted by TNS on behalf of the BVA revealed that 78% of parents were strict about what their children watched in the evenings, with 81% of all parents surveyed strongly agreeing that video is a good way to monitor their child’s viewing.

The popularity of children’s films has resulted in a proliferation of dedicated children’s TV channels such as Cbeebies, Fox Kids and Nickelodeon which could be seen to compete with video purchase. However, according to exclusive research conducted by the BVA, these specialised channels have been known to actually encourage DVD sales.

Story filed 28.07.08