Global theatrical, home entertainment and pay-TV combined market worth nearly $328.2 billion : MPA Report

The MPA’s 2021 Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Environment (THEME) Report offered an analysis and survey of the theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market, including data into how the film, television, and streaming industry performed during the year, as well as audience demographic information. MPA member companies include the likes of Netflix Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal City Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

In the US, the combined theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market was $36.8 billion in 2021, a 14% increase compared with 2020, but notably overtaking the 2019 figure of $36.1 billion. While both the international and US/Canada theatrical markets grew substantially compared with 2020, streaming continued to drive the growth of the overall industry. Subscriptions to streaming services reached 1.3 billion globally, marking a 14% increase over 2020.

In 2021, the global home/mobile entertainment market reached $78.5 billion, representing a 14% increase compared to 2020 and a 41% increase compared with 2019. In the United States, it increased to $32.3 billion in 2021. This growth was said to be driven by the digital market which increased 11% in the U.S. and 24% internationally.

Significantly, the study found that the number of subscriptions to streaming services around the world increased to 1.3 billion (up from 1.2 billion in 2020) and to 353.2 million in the US, both representing a 14% increase from 2020. Online services also produced 179 original films released exclusively to their platforms in 2021, comparable to 2020 but representing an almost 60% increase from 2019. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 53% of U.S. adults reported that their viewing of movies or shows/series on a streaming service increased, while 42% reported that their viewing via pay-TV increased.

There was a significant return to production in 2021 due largely to the early and effective implementation of the industry’s strict health and safety protocols. 943 films entered production during 2021, an increase of 111% compared with 2020. 1,826 original series were released in 2021, including 559 scripted original series. This represented an increase of 15% in original series from 2020, driven in part by the increase of series productions for online services. In 2021, online services produced a total of 693 series.

“Our latest THEME Report underscores how resilient and dynamic our industry is, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of our business,” said MPA chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin commenting on the Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Environment Report . “We are just getting started in writing the next chapter of our industry as streaming continues to boom, theaters are rebounding, and the overall global market for our entertainment product recovers and breaks records. Our members are the most innovative companies on earth. Their capacity to bring people together through the timeless magic of extraordinary stories will continue to captivate billions of viewers over the next 100 years.” Rapid TV News