Dads increasingly succumbing to kids ‘pester power’ to spend more on children’s DVD and Blu-ray titles

23 July 2010: Children’s video sector sees healthy growth. New data shows that Dads are becoming more influential in choosing and buying DVD and Blu-ray titles for their children than ever before. ‘Pester power’ when out shopping, or at the checkout, may be the reason behind the trend.

Research from the British Video Association’s (BVA) consumer tracking study, carried out by Kantar Worldpanel, reveals a 34% rise in the amount of money generated from sales of Children’s videos* being bought on impulse by Dads over the past year.

Dads report that they are spending 30% more money this year compared to last year on Children’s titles – approximately £43.26 - whilst impulse purchasing by Dads now accounts for 29% of the entire Children’s market.

Lavinia Carey, Director General of the British Video Association says:

“Demand for children’s and family videos account for a significant proportion of all titles sold in the UK. Our research shows that these days Fathers are more involved with their children’s entertainment as part of the shift towards more hands-on parenting, so they can take advantage of the wide selection of great value children’s titles available on the high street and in supermarkets. Although they may be giving into ‘pester power’ from their own children, another reason for this could be the ever-increasing availability of cherished classics from their own childhood which appeal to their sense of nostalgia.”

The growth of Fathers in making purchasing decisions for their children in the first half of the year has come as Children’s video unit sales rose 9% year on year, accounting for 12% of the total home entertainment market by volume. More importantly, the value of the Children’s video market has risen 7% this year to hold an 11% value share of the total market.

While Children’s animated feature film has seen success this year with titles such as Up (The Walt Disney Company), Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), Fantastic Mr Fox (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) and Monsters Vs Aliens (Paramount Home Entertainment), other areas of the Children’s market have also performed well.

Sales volumes in the Pre-school sector have risen 17.3% in the first six months of the year and well-liked brands such as Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam and Thomas The Tank Engine have all boosted sales. The School Age market is up 10.2% year to date, helped by the success of The Gruffalo (E1 Entertainment), and the sector includes popular characters such as Horrid Henry (Abbey Home Media), Ben 10 (Warner Home Video), and Barbie (Universal Pictures).

Ends

* The Children’s Video market follows the Official Charts categorisation. It is made up of 1.Animated Film titles. 2. Pre-School titles and 3. School Age titles. Please contact the BVA should clarification be required on any specific titles.

Notes to Editor
For further information please contact the BVA press office on 020 7618 9116 or e-mail bva@luther.co.uk

The BVA 30th Anniversary Yearbook is available exclusively from the BVA. A hardcopy of this essential guide to the industry can be purchased for £149 or alternatively a PDF of the Yearbook can be purchased for £249. All orders can be made online at www.bva.org.uk or by calling the BVA on 020 7436 0041.

Kantar Worldpanel collected its data from a panel of 15,000 demographically representative individuals, aged 13-79. For more information about Kantar Worldpanel please visit: http://www.kantarworldpanel.com
 

The British Video Association
Video encompasses the home entertainment industry as a whole, from packaged media such as DVD and Blu-ray through to digital downloading onto portable devices and for home consumption. It is the largest sector of the audiovisual industry, with ever increasing consumer choice of access and price points. The video sector releases about 8,000 titles a year and the BVA champions all content delivery channels.

Visit www.bva.org.uk
Visit also www.findanyfilm.com
UK official Blu-ray website: www.thisisbluray.co.uk

Top Ten Children’s Videos – January to June 2010
(data courtesy of the Official Charts Company)