The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) announced that consumer transactions for prerecorded video content (DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and digital delivery) grew 2.8% to 3.5 billion during 2009.

According to the group’s latest report, “The D2 Report: Discs & Digital – The Business of Home Entertainment Retailing,” physical media, such as DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and video game discs, remain the overwhelming choice of consumers of home entertainment, even as digital delivery channels such as electronic sell-through and rental are experiencing tremendous growth. The report details that combined DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales totaled $17.9 billion in 2009, nine times the revenue generated by digital distribution channels, and 80% to 90% of paid video game software acquisitions were on physical media.

“While there has been a great deal of focus recently on the slippage of revenues in the DVD market, the untold story is that consumers’ embrace of home entertainment remains very strong and packaged media is the preferred delivery instrument,” noted Bo Andersen, President and CEO of EMA. “Digital distribution is clearly an important segment of the home entertainment market and will continue to grow in market share in the coming year. While it is tempting for industry outsiders to say ‘disc is dead,’ as the saying goes, reports of its demise are grossly exaggerated.”

“The D2 Report: Discs & Digital – The Business of Home Entertainment Retailing,” issued by EMA, brings together data from various home video and video game industry analysts, including Adams Media Research, Digital Entertainment Group, The NPD Group, Parks Associates, and Screen Digest. The report replaces EMA’s annual report on the home entertainment industry; unlike the annual report, is not a snapshot of the home entertainment industry in the prior year, but rather identifies and discusses current trends in the industry and puts them in historical perspective.

For more information visit: www.EntertainmentMerchantsAssociation.org