UK consumers spent a record £7.2bn in 2017 on all forms of music, video and games, for CDs, DVDs, and vinyl records(黑胶唱片)to console(控制台)software and subscriptions to music and TV streaming services. That surpassed the £7.1bn spent by consumers on “printed word” books, magazines and newspapers for the first time, according to figures published by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).
The research, prepared by the Leisure Industries Research Centre (LIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University, credits the “dramatic growth” in the popularity of paid-for digital services such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Deezer and Spotify as the key factor behind booming sales of entertainment.
ERA Chief Executive Officer Kim Bayley said: “It is an extraordinary proof of the appeal of digital entertainment services that they have helped home entertainment to this milestone since the invention of the printing press.
“The success of the UK entertainment market is ultimately the result of collaboration between the creatives, studios and labels that produce compelling(扣人心弦的)content and the retailers and services that bring it to the public.
Dr. Themis Kokolakakis from the LIRC added: “The 2008-2009 recession hurt both the entertainment and reading market. Since 2012, the entertainment market has recovered very strongly, producing record 2017 results.
“Traditional media is under pressure, partly because of the growth of streaming services, partly because there is so much competition for people’s time and attention. Entertainment has grown while reading has stagnated(停滞).”
The ERA said the statistics showed the dramatic change in consumer habits as they shifted form buying physical products to digital consumption and formats.
Five years ago, 80% of revenues were generated by “buy to own” formats such as DVDs and CDs. Now 56% of revenues come from digital sources including video streaming, electronic movie rental, subscriptions, online multiplayer games and in-app and mobile purchases.
Two physical products, however, have bucked the downward sales trend. The vinyl revival(重新流行)is still going strong with sales up 34 percent to £87.7m. Sales of boxed software for games consoles have also made a comeback, rising by 5% to £750m- the first growth in a decade.
The ERA’s Bayley commented: “Digital services may be grabbing the headlines, but physical retailers continue to identify new opportunities to drive sales of discs.
“Vinyl is a prime example of retailers nurturing demand for a product most people had long written off. It would be foolish to underestimate consumers’ continuing affection for the physical products.”
24. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A.There are various entertainments for UK consumers. |
B.The printing press has to find ways to satisfy consumers. |
C.More attention must be paid to the development of traditional media. |
D.Revenues from entertainment are more than those of the printed word in 2017. |
25. According to the LIRC, what plays a critical role in the increase of home-entertainment
consuming?
A.The growth of digital services. |
B.The change in people’s consumption habits. |
C.The economic support from the government. |
D.The improvement of people’s living standards. |
26. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 9 implies that ______.
A.the sales of some physical products have gone up |
B.the popularity of digital services falls into decline |
C.the entertainment market has recovered strongly |
D.the prices of some traditional media have been reduced |
27. What can we infer from Bayley’s words in the last two paragraphs?
A.It is not wise for the public to ignore traditional media. |
B.It is not easy to win the public’s affection for physical products. |
C.There will be a rise in consumer spending on physical products. |
D.Retailers of physical products have made efforts to push the sales of vinyl up. |