Ten years after gaming reigned as the UK's hottest entertainment medium, the world's most beloved medium has fallen off the altar for the first time.
ERA (Digital Entertainment and Retail Association), the UK's trade body representing video, music and games retailers, said UK video game revenue reached £4.74 billion, up 2.9% from last year. This includes sales of both digital and physical versions of the game, covering PC, mobile, and console.
However, revenue from film and television content rose 10% to £4.9 billion, driven by subscription services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV. According to ERA, subscription revenue accounts for 89% of the film and TV market.
In terms of individual productions, Avatar: The Way of Water was the best-selling film and television production of the year, with 560,000 units sold.
ERA's data is a combination of data provided by GfK, Official Charts, Omdia, and Futursource.
In 2023, UK music revenue reached £2.2 billion, up 9.6% year-on-year, a small margin from the best year in history (2001).
Across all three entertainment media (music, film and video, and video games), 92% of sales come from digital downloads or streaming.
ERA also shared this data compared to the pre-pandemic performance of individual markets. UK video game revenue in 2023 is up 29.2% compared to 2019, video up 88.3%, and music up 38.8%.