TNS records overwhelming 235 per cent increase in online DVD rental

These figures reveal that one in five (19 per cent*) DVDs rented in the UK now comes from online rental services. This growth bucks the trend seen in the stores rental market, which is declining by 6 per cent* over the same period.

Whilst a smaller proportion of Britons now rent films (down 10 per cent in the past year) those of us who do so, rent more often. TNS figures show that nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of DVD renters now hire more than once a month compared to just 15 per cent a year ago. This significant rise has been driven largely by the online DVD rental market, with 71 per cent of online renters hiring out DVDs more than once a month. Conversely, independent video stores have seen their share decline from 17% to 14% over the same period.

Online rental has had the biggest impact in London and Scotland, with nearly one in 4 rentals in these regions being online, proving that consumers are just as likely to use the service in a busy urban centre as in potentially more remote areas.

Lucy Burton, Account Manager, TNS AudioVisual Trak, said: "Despite increasingly strong competition from the likes of digital TV, personal video recording technology and free films with our weekend newspapers, the online rental DVD market has posted significant growth.

"This may be in part due to the wider choice on offer, with just over a quarter (26 per cent) of all titles rented coming from non-mainstream distributors, compared to just 16 per cent for films rented in store.

"New innovations such as the online services are going to be crucial to the rental market going forward, with traditional store rental being affected by an increasingly competitive retail environment, and video downloading looking to become a reality over the next few years."