Home video spans subscription streaming, digital purchases and rentals, physical discs, theatrical spending, and the devices used for viewing. The statistics below make the geography, period, measurement and scope explicit, from global 2017–2021 estimates to U.S. 2024 spending and 2020 display-energy data.
Key Home Video Statistics
These highlights capture the most useful comparisons across the available home video data:
- In 2021, global digital consumer spending reached $71.9 billion across the worldwide market.
- In 2021, global physical consumer spending was $6.5 billion.
- In 2021, global theatrical consumer spending was $21.3 billion.
- In 2021, global online video subscriptions totaled 1.3 billion subscriptions.
- From 2020 to 2021, global online video subscriptions increased 14%, equal to 164.1 million subscriptions.
- In 2021, global cable subscriptions fell 1% to 526.5 million subscriptions.
- In 2021, online video subscription revenue increased $17.9 billion, or 26%, globally.
- In the first half of 2024, U.S. subscription streaming spending reached almost $22.9 billion.
- In the first half of 2024, U.S. home entertainment spending reached nearly $25.4 billion.
- In the first half of 2024, U.S. subscription streaming spending rose 27.1% year over year.
- In Q1 2024, U.S. digital rental spending reached $460 million, up 3.6% year over year.
- In Q1 2024, U.S. digital purchases of movies and shows totaled $564 million.
- In Q1 2024, U.S. 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray sales grew 15.9%.
- In 2020, display-related devices used about 70 TWh in U.S. homes.
- In 2020, televisions and monitors represented 94% of display-related device energy use in U.S. homes.
Contents
- Global home video spending statistics
- U.S. home video market mix
- Regional home video data
- Streaming subscription statistics
- Transactional home video trends
- Home video viewing infrastructure and energy
Global Home Video Spending Statistics
The Motion Picture Association’s 2021 THEME Report presents global estimates assembled from Omdia, Comscore and DEG. Its broad home/mobile entertainment definition includes electronic sell-through, video on demand, paid subscription streaming, and Blu-ray/DVD sales or rentals on home and mobile devices; it covers movies and television, while excluding sports, advertising-based markets and pay-TV subscription revenue unless explicitly added.
| Year | Physical consumer spending | Digital consumer spending | Theatrical consumer spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $14.9B | $28.7B | $41.0B |
| 2018 | $12.6B | $37.7B | $41.8B |
| 2019 | $10.3B | $45.5B | $42.3B |
| 2020 | $8.0B | $60.7B | $11.8B |
| 2021 | $6.5B | $71.9B | $21.3B |
Source: 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment. MPA describes these as estimates, and prior estimates may be revised.
Across this period, the reported global categories show different trajectories. Digital consumer spending rose from $28.7 billion in 2017 to $71.9 billion in 2021, while physical spending declined from $14.9 billion to $6.5 billion.
Theatrical consumer spending was $41 billion in 2017, $41.8 billion in 2018 and $42.3 billion in 2019. It then fell to $11.8 billion in 2020 before reaching $21.3 billion in 2021, so the 2020 and 2021 values should be read as pandemic-period estimates rather than a stable long-term level.
U.S. Home Video Market Mix
The same MPA report separates U.S. physical and digital consumer spending from theatrical spending. The home/mobile figures cover the United States, while the theatrical figures include the United States and Canada.
| Year | U.S. physical | U.S. digital | U.S./Canada theatrical |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $6.8B | $14.0B | $11.1B |
| 2018 | $5.8B | $17.4B | $11.9B |
| 2019 | $4.7B | $20.0B | Not supplied |
| 2020 | $3.5B | $26.5B | Not supplied |
| 2021 | $2.8B | $29.5B | Not supplied |
Source: 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment. DEG covers U.S. home/mobile data; U.S. theatrical data include Canada, and VOD excludes PVOD.
U.S. physical consumer spending declined from $6.8 billion in 2017 to $2.8 billion in 2021. Over the same 2017–2021 span, U.S. digital consumer spending increased from $14 billion to $29.5 billion.
The available theatrical series shows U.S./Canada spending at $11.1 billion in 2017 and $11.9 billion in 2018. Because the geography differs from the home/mobile measures, these figures should not be treated as a like-for-like U.S.-only comparison.
Regional Home Video Data: EMEA, Asia-Pacific and Latin America
Omdia’s international estimates in the MPA report combine digital and physical movie and television consumer spending under the home/mobile entertainment category. The figures below are regional totals, not household counts or subscription counts.
| Region | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMEA | $9.1B | $11.0B | $12.4B | $16.2B | $19.6B |
| Asia-Pacific | $9.0B | $11.0B | $12.6B | $15.4B | $18.0B |
| Latin America | $2.1B | $2.8B | Not supplied | Not supplied | Not supplied |
Source: 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment. International figures are Omdia estimates covering digital plus physical movie and television consumer spending.
EMEA home/mobile entertainment reached $19.6 billion in 2021, compared with $9.1 billion in 2017. Asia-Pacific reached $18 billion in 2021, up from $9 billion in 2017.
The supplied series gives Latin America at $2.1 billion in 2017 and $2.8 billion in 2018. No later Latin America values are included here, so the table does not extend that row beyond the reported periods.
Streaming Subscription Statistics and Adoption
The MPA report counted subscriptions rather than unique households. A household with several services can therefore be counted in each applicable category, and the subscription totals should not be interpreted as a one-to-one measure of viewers.
- Global online video subscriptions totaled 1.3 billion in 2021, according to the 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment.
- Global online video subscriptions increased 14% from 2020 to 2021, an increase reported as 164.1 million subscriptions, according to the 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment.
- Global cable subscriptions decreased 1% in 2021 to 526.5 million, according to the 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment.
- Online video subscription revenue increased $17.9 billion, or 26%, in 2021 globally, within the report’s pay-TV and subscription discussion, according to the 2021 THEME Report | Global Theatrical & Home/Mobile Entertainment.
More recent U.S. data from DEG place subscription streaming at the center of home entertainment spending. In the first half of 2024, U.S. subscription streaming spending reached almost $22.9 billion, up 27.1% year over year, according to Consumer Spending on Home Entertainment Grew 22% to $25.4 Billion in the First Half of 2024, Driven by Subscription Streaming.
DEG defines this home entertainment measure as movies and television watched at home and on the go. It is therefore broader than a display-only or living-room-only measure.
Transactional Home Video Trends: Rentals, Purchases and Discs
DEG’s Q1 2024 estimates show separate U.S. spending measures for digital rentals, digital purchases and physical discs. The categories are transactional consumer spending estimates, and the disc-purchase comparison excludes disc rentals.
| U.S. measure | Q1 2024 result | Reported change or note |
|---|---|---|
| Digital rentals | $460M | Up 3.6% year over year |
| Theatrical titles in digital rentals | $379M | Up 8.8% year over year |
| Digital purchases of movies and shows | $564M | Flat year over year |
| Theatrical titles in digital purchases | $380M | Up 7.1% year over year |
| Disc purchases | Not supplied | Down 15.2% year over year |
| 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray sales | Not supplied | Up 15.9% year over year |
Source: DEG Mid-Year 2024 Digital Media Entertainment Report. The 4K figure concerns sales, not total physical-disc spending.
In the first half of 2024, U.S. home entertainment spending reached nearly $25.4 billion, compared with nearly $20.8 billion in the first half of 2023, according to Consumer Spending on Home Entertainment Grew 22% to $25.4 Billion in the First Half of 2024, Driven by Subscription Streaming. DEG reports the year-over-year increase as more than 22%.
The same DEG report says subscription streaming accounted for almost $22.9 billion of the first-half 2024 total. Because both figures are rounded, the component relationship should not be treated as an exact subtraction.
Home Video Viewing Infrastructure and Display Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy-hosted Fraunhofer USA report measures display-related devices in U.S. homes, rather than home-theater systems alone. Its device grouping includes televisions and monitors, so these findings should not be generalized to projectors or to a specific home-video setup.
- Display-related devices used about 70 TWh in U.S. homes in 2020, according to Display Energy Use in Homes: Ownership, Power, Usage, and Trends.
- Display-related devices represented about 40% of total consumer-electronics energy consumption in U.S. homes in 2020, according to Display Energy Use in Homes: Ownership, Power, Usage, and Trends.
- Televisions and monitors accounted for 94% of display-related device energy use in U.S. homes in 2020, according to Display Energy Use in Homes: Ownership, Power, Usage, and Trends.
- Estimated TV on-time spiked by up to 50% during COVID-19 in 2020, according to Display Energy Use in Homes: Ownership, Power, Usage, and Trends.
The report cautions that on-time is not identical to active viewing time. The COVID-19 increase is an estimate associated with the period, not a direct measure of attention or content consumption.