Digital Entertainment Group International Confirms New Members

BBC Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company have joined the Digital Entertainment Group International (DEGI).

The three companies join existing members Google, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures.

The DEGI, the sister body to the U.S.-based Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), is an international trade body that aims to drive global digital growth, enabling local collaboration and networking. It focuses on market research and reporting, technological innovation and consumer behaviors to inform and drive conversation and opportunities to grow audiences and their engagement with the category.

Joe Braman, co-chair of the DEGI, said: “The DEGI welcomes these three new members and their engaged membership at such an exciting time for the category. As the surge in new content continues across the next six months, their experience and ambition will be a huge benefit to our collective goals. In addition, increased consumer awareness of multiple formats in a post-lockdown screen landscape makes it more essential than ever that we come together to share our knowledge and expertise in conveying the many benefits of digital ownership and rental to audiences. In return, we offer our DEGI members leading market understanding, reporting and insights across the entire category.”

Rob Crowe, sales manager for online and digital at BBC Studios, said: “With the digital landscape and consumer choice changing faster than ever, it’s never been more important for us to come together as an industry to understand our customers and how best to engage them in digital ownership in the years ahead. I look forward to working with the other members of the DEGI to further our mutual ambitions for the category.”

Laura Broadbent, project director for the transactional digital acceleration program at Sony Pictures Entertainment, said: “The digital transactional landscape is evolving faster than ever before, and at its heart, is an increasing appetite for great film and TV content from consumers. This presents a phenomenal opportunity for growth across international territories. The DEGI provides us with a strong platform for collaboration through the sharing of research, actionable insight and knowledge, which will enable us to help our audiences understand how and where they can rent or buy the wealth of content available to them. We look forward to working with the other DEGI members to improve the consumer experience with the aim of further accelerating the growth of the international transactional digital markets in the coming years.”

Johnnie Thompson, director of digital stores for EMEA and Russia at The Walt Disney Company, added: “With almost 18 million digital purchases in the U.K. alone in 2021, the digital home entertainment category continues to thrive. We know that people crave flexibility, and whether it’s a digital rental or purchase, in cinema, or via Disney+, there are more ways than ever for fans to enjoy Disney’s world-class storytelling. So, it’s essential that we come together as an industry to share our knowledge and expertise to drive the digital category forward, and DEGI provides a great platform to do just that.”