Entertainment spending not declining
April 14, 2009
According to Entertainment Trends In America, a tracking study conducted by market research company The NPD Group, most consumers plan to hold steady or increase their entertainment spending in 2009.
According to the NPD report, 75 per cent of consumers surveyed said they will spend the same amount or more on digital music downloads as they did in 2008. Sixty-five per cent will spend the same or more on video games, and 60 per cent will spend the same or more on CDs. Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of consumers expect to spend the same amount or more on theatrical movies. Based on comparison to last year's statistics, the theatrical movie category appears to be in the best position for growth, as only 66 per cent of survey respondents said they would spend the same or more last year.
“Even in the face of a down economy, entertainment remains a popular spending category,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “Most consumers say they'll continue to purchase at least the same amount of many entertainment categories in the coming year.”
NPD reported 51 per cent of consumers surveyed purchased a DVD or Blu-ray disc in the prior three months. Purchasing a console or portable video game ranked second at 36 per cent, followed by purchasing a CD at 31 per cent.