Consumers spent US$16 billion on home entertainment in H1 2021

Consumers spent almost US$16 billion on movies and TV shows consumed at home during the first half of 2021.

According to the latest home entertainment report from the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), the total amount spent was up from US$14.9 billion during H1 2020 – which itself was a record-breaking period. 

In the second quarter of 2021 alone, consumers spent US$7.9 billion on home video entertainment.

Consumer spending on subscription streaming rose almost 17% to US$6.3 billion for Q2, and by 21% to US$12.2 billion in the first six months of 2021.

A significant reason for this growth, the report says, has been the continued lack of major cinematic blockbusters. Few new releases made their way to market in the first half of the year, and those that did were often released initially for rental or sale in a premium window. 

While the surging Covid-19 numbers caused by the Delta variant are a consistent cause for concern, the scheduled number of blockbusters released into cinemas by the likes of Warner Bros. and Disney in the second half of the year is likely to lead to depressed home entertainment numbers when the next iteration of this report is released.