Confirming the inexorable growth in the global DVD market, latest figures from Germany and France show DVD sell-through growth towering over both the rental and video sectors.

The German home entertainment industry posted a year-on-year growth of 11% in revenues to Euros 1.555 bn in 2003, according to Bundesverband Audiovisuelle Medien (BVV).

BVV reported that the results for the sell-through market were "particularly impressive": overall turnover from the sale of DVDs and videos had increased by 20.4% from 2002's Euros 1.04 bn to Euros 1.253 bn last year, with sales for DVDs rising by 47.7% to Euros 1.05 bn. However, revenues from sell-through videos slipped by 39.1% to just Euros 199.6m.

At the same time, developments in the rental market, which now represents only 19.4% of the total industry's turnover, were described by BVV as "alarming" due to the rapidly growing incidence of illegal copying. Video stores saw the rental turnover contract by 15.8% from Euros 358.6m in 2002 to Euros 302.1m last year and the number of rental transactions drop by 17m to only 113.6 m, the lowest figure since the beginning of the GfK analyses in 1985.

Meanwhile, French video publishers' union (SEV) has reported 2003's sales for videos and DVDs - which jumped 12% in 2003 for revenues of Euros 1.2bn.

While a healthy increase, the market has slowed down some compared to 2002 which was 30% higher than 2001. The SEV pointed out that France is moving more slowly than its neighbours like the UK where sales increases are at an annual average of about 25%.

Films represented 76% of the sales versus 81% in 2002 with French films selling around the same at 18.5%. DVD sales significantly outstripped videos with a jump to 76 million in 2003 versus 49 million in 2002.

Meanwhile, the video sell-through market shrunk from 2002's 33 million units to 23 million in 2003. A 10% slip hit the rental market from 2.5 million units down to 2.3 million.