HOW BRITAIN ENTERTAINED ITSELF DURING LOCKDOWN

The data comes from ERA’s authoritative tracking study which has measured the entertainment choices of a representative panel of up to 2,000 consumers each quarter for the past seven years. The latest 28^th wave of the research commenced on May 25 2020, two months into the coronavirus lockdown.

Top performer was the new Disney+ family subscription service, launched just as lockdown began, with 10.5% of respondents saying they had subscribed. It was followed by Netflix with 8.4% and Amazon Prime at 5.6%.

Significantly, most new subscribers say they will stick with their new services once lockdown is over, with more than 93% of Amazon Prime Music Unlimited subscribers saying they will maintain their subscription and more than 60% of those paying for each of the Top 10 services saying they will continue to subscribe.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “These are incredible results and show that digital services were not just a distress purchase during lockdown, but are continuing to transform Britain’s entertainment habits for the long term. The significant investment by digital services in convenience, range and accessibility are clearly paying dividends.”

Most physical buyers will return

With physical entertainment outlets shuttered during the lockdown, the 41% of respondents who normally shop for music, video and games in store were prevented from doing so.

But the ERA study offers heartening news for entertainment retailers, with nearly 80% of respondents saying they expect to spend as much or more in store once shops reopen.

There was one note of caution, however: The younger the respondent is, the more likely they are to shop less on the high street post-lockdown than they did before, with 33% of under-25s saying they will shop ‘less’ or ‘a lot less’.

Consumers still need persuading to buy first-run video streams

Significant concerns were raised by cinema owners during lockdown when studios announced plans to release brand-new movies direct to so-called premium video on demand (PVOD), one of the most high profile examples being Disney’s Mulan which will be made available in the US on September for $29.99 (£23).

Early data from the ERA panel, however, suggests UK consumers may take some persuading to pay such premium prices for new release movies.

The relatively small number of titles so far available means it is unsurprising that 98% of respondents said they had not tried premium video on demand during lockdown, but when asked about their future intentions, they were little more enthusiastic – 76% said they were unlikely or very unlikely to rent a PVOD, with 17.7% neutral and only 6.3% likely or very likely to participate.

Tough times ahead for live music

The ERA panel was also asked about out-of-home leisure activities to gauge the likely impact on businesses related to entertainment, such as cinema and gig going. Responses suggested sharp falls across all categories, including a fall of a more than a quarter in those likely to go sightseeing.

While 73.4% reported that they previously went to the cinema, only just over half said they were likely to do so post-lock down. Results for live music were even more challenging. Less than half of those attending live concerts and gigs said they would do so post-lockdown and only a third of previous festivalgoers said they were likely to attend in the future.

Video and games dominated lockdown entertainment purchases

Alongside its panel-based tracking study, ERA has also analysed official sales data from the Covid-19 lockdown and discovered that video and games dominated the UK’s entertainment purchases.

The biggest two titles of the lockdown period came from Walt Disney Studios, Star Wars IX - The Rise Of Skywalker which generated sales of 637,484, followed by Frozen 2 (541,783).

Positions three to five – FIFA 20, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare and Grand Theft Auto V respectively – were all games.

The analysis looks at sales of video, games and albums during the period March 23 - June 13. Of the top 40 titles, 21 were games, 16 video and three albums.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “The resilience of entertainment sales even during the lockdown was remarkable. It was an incredible result for Disney Studios, coming on top of the successful launch of Disney+, but it also highlighted the strength of the biggest videogames. The games business typically focuses on new releases. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was released in August 2019, FIFA 20 came out in September, and Grand Theft Auto V is nearly seven years old.”

Includes sales from March 23 to June 13 2020.  Sources: Music: Official Charts Company - Includes all physical formats, digital download albums and album streams. Video: Official Charts Company - Includes all physical formats, electronic sell-through (film titles only). Games: ISFE GSD - Physical / Digital downloads

ENDS

ERA CEO Kim Bayley is available for interview

For more information please contact Steve Redmond steve@eraltd.org (07770 924720)

About ERA

ERA is the trade association representing the vast majority of retailers and digital services offering music, video and games. Its members range from independent record shops (Reflex, Sister Ray) to digital services (Spotify, YouTube, Sky, Deezer, Virgin) to internet retailers (Amazon) to specialist High Street operators (HMV, Game) and supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons)

ERA members supply the sales data which powers the Official Charts Company (music and video charts) and GfK Chart-Track and GSD (videogames). Together with record companies trade association the BPI, it owns the Official Charts Company.

ERA provides the organisational force behind Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independent record stores which has become the most successful new music industry promotion of the past two decades.

ERA works closely with its sister organisations in music, video and games and is a strong proponent of open markets, open standards and consumer choice.