DRM News

A report based on several polls run in the UK by Ipsos MediaCT shows that many buyers still prefer purchasing a physical product to a digital version, with the percentages varying depending on the market.

The survey of 1,000 people found that 64 percent of game buyers still prefer physical discs, while 63 percent of newspaper purchasers prefer an actual paper to a digital version.

Finishing far lower were music and movies, with 45 percent and 51 percent respectively preferring physical versions.

From MCV :

“I believe the preference for physical discs amongst next gen gamers reflects the potential value they derive from the pre-owned market, which is holding up the preference for physical – this is unlike the music and film markets,” said Ipsos MediaCT director Ian Bramley.

“Physical games discs have a long and well-established history, which is a deep mindset to change – particularly when gamers build a physical collection as they fear losing digital versions. And in-store browsing is also important to buyers.”

Interesting numbers. Of course, precisely who was polled has a lot to do with the numbers, but it certainly shows that people have already accepted the music market in its digital form. And while the games industry is shifting towards the digital marketplace, they have a ways to go before that becomes something closer to ‘the norm’ among the current generation of buyers.

Also worth noting for the games results is that, according to to Thinq, PC gamers were NOT polled…it was console gamers only.