16.9% growth in turnover by digital content industry in 2015

The report states that a total of 9,579 companies were operating in the digital content sector in 2015. These companies employed 46,345 people, representing an increase of 7.1% on the previous year (43,255 professionals).

Furthermore, investments made in the digital content sector rose by 1.5% to 790 million euros.

The report also highlights the importance of the Internet for the Spanish economy, equating to 50.6 billion euros and accounting for 5.2% of Gross Domestic Product.

Based on a breakdown of the data, the sectors making the largest contribution to growth by the digital content sector last year were those of audio-visual, cinema and video activities, and online advertising. Together, these areas account for 83.6% of total turnover in the sector.

The report also describes the main trends in the digital content sector. In this regard, it should be noted that the development of high-speed networks are encouraging the distribution of digital content. Digital video content generates the highest volume of data traffic.

In terms of video games, the business models based on games consoles and PCs are showing signs of stagnation. The percentage of sector revenue from these activities over the coming years will decline in favour of games for mobile devices and virtual reality.

In the publishing sector, e-books account for almost 22% of all books sold around the world.