The total market for home entertainment, which includes physical music, videos and games, is worth 1.8bn - down 2.9% on last year.

The video sector:



The total video market is valued at almost £2.5bn and has grown by 3% since last year. Prices in this market have dropped significantly since last year (-5%) so the growth is predominantly coming from increased volume.

Television DVDs in particular are driving this growth, and this segment has experienced 30% volume growth in the past year, making this the fastest-growing genre. In fact, 13% of all DVDs bought in the past year were from the television segment.

Older films have also contributed to overall growth with volume sales increasing by 21%. This now makes up about one third of the total video market.

The music sector:



The physical music market in the only home entertainment market in decline. It is valued at about £1.8bn and declined by 14% in value over the past year.

This decline was partly driven by a significant drop in average price, both during and just after the Christmas period last year, as well as increased competition from the download market. Punk rock and R&B genres are still performing well in the market, while the pop and hip-hop genres are in decline.

The market for games:



PC and console games have experienced good growth in the past year - growing by 3% and 4% respectively. This was primarily driven by existing gamers buying more frequently, but new consoles have also encouraged some new buyers into the market.

However, new buyers that are entering the games market are far lighter shoppers than existing gamers in this market.

The Nintendo DS in particular has brought older gamers into the market. More than 20% of Nintendo DS games bought for personal use in the past year were bought by consumers in the 45-plus age group.

The Nintendo Wii has managed to encourage more family orientated gaming, with 15% of Wii games bought for family use compared with just 6% on average.

Chris Barnes, TNS Worldpanel