The W. European e-book market grows by over 400% in 2010 according to Futuresource, reaching over 10M paid-for downloads-- and should reach unit sales of 32M in 2011.
The e-book market is still young-- representing less than 1% of total consumer book spending-- with "enormous opportunities within the market." Futuresource predicts W.European e-book revenues will reach €1.6 billion by 2015, accounting for 15% of the region's physical book spending.
The UK dominates Europe's e-book market, generating nearly half of 2010 W. European e-book spending. Futuresource predicts UK e-book sales to reach totals of £100M in 2011.
The analyst sees a "notable change" within the industry towards e-books, as publishers and retailers push towards digital revenue streams in a bid to offset the decline of the once-stable W. European physical book market.
2010 was the first full year where e-readers were readily avilable at retail throughout many European countries, including Italy and spain. As local language content and demand develop, the W. European market's significance on the world stage will continue developing, Futuresource concludes.
