British consumers’ appetite for home entertainment reached new heights in 2024, with the sector surpassing £5.1 billion ($6.4 billion) for the first time, according to new data released by the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE). The milestone marks unprecedented growth across streaming, premium digital and physical formats.
The wider U.K. screen industry, including cinema and Pay TV, grew 4.3% to reach $15.5 billion, while the total entertainment industry value hit $37.4 billion. The figures underscore the U.K.’s position as a major global market for visual entertainment.
Warner Bros. Discovery dominated the year’s charts, with “Wonka” taking the crown as 2024’s top title across all formats with 821,000 units sold. The studio’s “Dune: Part Two” followed closely with 817,000 units, also claiming the top spot in physical sales with 132,000 disc units worth $2.5 million.
Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” continued its victory lap, becoming the year’s most-rented title with 487,000 VOD transactions. Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” dominated digital purchases with 465,000 Electronic Sell-Through (EST) units, contributing to its total of 621,500 units across all formats.
The streaming landscape saw significant shifts, with 18.6 million U.K. homes accessing SVOD services, averaging 2.9 services per household. Netflix maintained its leadership position (17.3 million homes), followed by Prime Video (13.4 million homes) and Disney+ (7.5 million homes). Ad-supported tiers generated an additional $499 million in consumer value, while premium ad-supported online video revenue surged 36% to $2.1 billion.
Physical formats showed resilience, particularly in the premium segment. The 4K UHD Blu-ray format grew 21% year-over-year, moving 1.3 million units worth $38 million. Catalog titles like “Aliens,” “The Terminator” and “The Lord of the Rings” helped drive this growth.
The industry saw 1,605 new releases across home entertainment formats in 2024, complementing 1,114 theatrical releases. Premium Video-on-Demand (PVOD) and Premium Electronic Sell-Through (PEST) releases increased 15% to 62 titles, with an average theatrical-to-digital window of 40 days.
“Visual Entertainment is the most popular entertainment pastime in the U.K. and audiences make savvy choices across the spectrum of home entertainment formats available to them,” said Liz Bales, chief executive of BASE. She noted that premium digital formats are already breaking records in 2025, with “Wicked” becoming the most popular premium title since records began following its Jan. 3 Premium Video-on-Demand (PVOD) and Premium Electronic Sell-Through (PEST) release.
Looking ahead, BASE co-chair Marie-Claire Benson expressed optimism for 2025, citing strong performance indicators from late 2024 and upcoming releases. “The 2025 calendar is robust and diverse,” she noted, highlighting upcoming titles like the Mark Wahlberg action film “Flight Risk” and the Steve Coogan-starring “The Penguin Lessons.”
The market’s digital transformation continues with the rise of FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channels, now numbering over 750 across eight major services in the U.K. Industry forecasts suggest FAST revenue could reach $12.1 billion by 2029, marking another significant shift in how British audiences consume content.
Official U.K. Entertainment Charts 2024
All-Format Video Chart (Including Digital, Blu-ray and DVD, EST, TVOD)
- “Wonka”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Oppenheimer”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Barbie”
Film Chart (All Digital Retail, Blu-ray and DVD, EST)
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Wonka”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Inside Out 2”
- “Oppenheimer”
Physical Video Chart (All Blu-ray & DVD)
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Wonka”
- “Oppenheimer”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”
Blu-ray Chart
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Oppenheimer”
- “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
DVD Chart
- “Wonka”
- “Oppenheimer”
- “Barbie”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”
Digital Purchase Chart (EST)
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Wonka”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Inside Out 2”
- “Despicable Me 4”
Digital Rental Chart (VOD)
- “Oppenheimer”
- “Wonka”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Barbie”
- “Anyone But You”
TV on Video Chart
- “Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon” – Season 1
- “Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon” – Season 2
- “The Last of Us” — Season 1
- “Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker”
- “Wednesday” — Season 1
Source: Official Charts Company
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
