UK entertainment sales reached a record £11.1Bn in 2022 – an all-time record for music, video and games sales, according to preliminary figures from digital entertainment and retail association ERA. The total was 6.9% up on 2021 and a dramatic 39% up on the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.
The main driver of growth continues to be streaming and digital formats which reached £10.1 Bn up 8.4% on 2021. The fastest growing sector in 2022 was video, up 14.4% to £4,432m, followed by music, up 3.0% to £1,987m and games up 2.3% to £4,664m.
Games continues to represent the largest sector of sales, accounting for 42.1% of the total, with video within touching distance on 40.0% and music on 17.9%. The leading titles in each sector were FIFA 23 (games), Top Gun Maverick featuring Tom Cruise (video) and Harry’s House by Harry Styles (music).
| UK Entertainment Sales in 2022 (£m) |
| 2021 | 2022 | % change vs 2021 | ||
| Music | Physical | £291.5m | £280.4m | -3.8% |
| Downloads | £55.0m | £45.4m | -17.5% | |
| Streaming | £1,582.3m | £1,661.1m | 5.0% | |
| Total Music | £1,928.9m | £1,986.9m | 3.0% | |
| Video | Physical Retail | £236.2m | £209.0m | -11.5% |
| Physical Rental | £12.3m | £9.9m | -19.4% | |
| Digital | £3,627.2m | £4,213.2m | 16.2% | |
| Total Video | £3,875.7m | £4,432.2m | 14.4% | |
| Games | Physical | £511.5m | £488.6m | -4.5% |
| Digital | £4,048.8m | £4,175.8m | 3.1% | |
| Total Games | £4,560.3m | £4,664.4m | 2.3% | |
| Total Entertainment | Physical | £1,051.5m | £988.0m | -6.0% |
| Digital (inc streaming) | £9,313.4m | £10,950.4m | 8.4% | |
| Total Entertainment | £10,364.9m | £11,083.4m | 6.9% |
| How Entertainment flourished through pandemic and recession |
| 2019 | 2022 | % Change | |
| Video | £2,610.6m | £4,432.2m | +69.8% |
| Games | £3,764.6m | £4,664.4m | +23.9% |
| Music | £1,599.4m | £1,986.9m | +24.2% |
| Home Entertainment | £7,974.6m | £11,083.4m | +39.0% |
UK Music Sales in 2022
UK music sales grew by 3.0% in 2022 to £1,986.9, their highest level since 2003 and nearly double the level of their low point in 2013. The main driver of growth was again streaming from services such as Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Apple. Subscription streaming revenues grew 5% to £1,661.1m.
Physical sales fell slightly by 3.8% to £280.4m, but continued to level out as the higher-priced vinyl format showed sustained growth as CD slipped. Vinyl album sales grew 11% to £150.5m, while CD album sales fell 17.4% to £124m, the first time vinyl outsold CD by value since 1987.
Harry Styles produced the year’s biggest-selling album in Harry’s House and biggest selling/streaming single in ‘As It Was’.
Further details on Video and Games sales can be found here.
