U.S. Consumer Spending on Digital Delivery Jumped 15.6% in 2014, DEG Says

U.S. consumer spending on digitally delivered home entertainment content climbed 15.6 percent in 2014 to $2.1 billion, the Digital Entertainment Group said Tuesday in its year-end report. But total spending fell 4.1 percent for the year to just under $5.3 billion on double-digit declines in sales and subscription rentals of physical media, the DEG said. “Consumers embraced the convenience and accessibility of purchasing and collecting digital content, while studios reaped higher margins from these digital sales,” it said. “In particular, theatrical new releases delivered exceptional annual growth of more than 60 percent.” Within digital delivery, electronic sell-through spending jumped 25.4 percent to $533 million, while subscription streaming sales climbed 25 percent to $1.1 billion, the DEG said.