Half
year figures from the British Video Association (BVA) show total DVD
sales have risen 3.3 per cent compared with the same period a year
ago.
Lavinia Carey, its director general, pointed to a recent survey by
the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which found that DVDs were considered
a necessity by most households. "We are delighted to see that
the half year 2008 figures reveal an increased demand for home entertainment,
especially in the current challenging economic climate," she
said.
The best-selling DVD was the animated children's adventure Ratatouille,
which sold 2.1 million copies. The magical adventure film Stardust
and the adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy novel, The
Golden Compass also proved popular, both selling more
than 800,000 DVDs.
The BVA added that demand for high definition video continues to boost
growth, with sales of Blu-ray discs up 506 per cent over the year