In 2020, sales in the home entertainment market (physical and digital) in Italy drop by 17.2%.

According to the report by Univideo, the trade association representing audiovisual publishers on physical media (dvd, Blu-ray, 4k Ultra Hd) and digital distribution platforms, carried out in collaboration with GFK, the value of the audiovisual market in Italy in 2020 was 211.7 million euros. In particular, sales of DVDs and Blu-ray reached 103.5 million euros, compared to 154 million in the previous year. On the other hand, digital consumption grew from 101.7 million in 2019 to 108.2 million in 2020.

2020 marked the overtaking of digital entertainment over physical entertainment. The main cause of the change in the way audiovisual consumers are enjoying their entertainment has been the pandemic. The long lockdown periods that forced Italians to stay at home inevitably changed their habits.

The first lockdown in March-April 2020 had a negative impact on DVD and Blu-ray sales, which contracted by as much as -68%. The lack of new releases (-29%) also had a negative impact.

The president of Univideo, Pierluigi Bernasconi, commented: “The sector presided over by our associates is undergoing strong changes. The next few months will be months of open tables on various issues, from piracy to the request for VAT relief for the sector”.

To read the full report download here.