2012 was a great year for British TV and cinema. Yet again we saw Brits light up the silver screen with freshly-formed classics as well as some familiar faces - most notably from her majesty's secret service. Yes, the British TV and film industry was once again well represented with popular exports like Downton Abbey and the release of Skyfall, complete with another epic performance from Daniel Craig.
But awards aren't the only reason for film and TV fans to celebrate. Not only is the hard work of the industry enjoying worldwide recognition, but UK based content suppliers and production houses are working hard to diversify their services so we can enjoy our favourite content whenever we like. And their work is paying dividends.
As 2013 begins, we're seeing more and more evidence that people are seeking out official services for film, TV and video online. And thanks to technological innovations, what might have been perceived as science-fiction a few years ago is now common-place, such as sitting next to someone on the train and seeing them catching up on the latest episode of that favourite show that they missed last night on their tablet or smartphone.
And it's not just entertainment on the go that's on the move; on demand TV has also seen its popularity sky rocket over the past few years. New Year's Day saw the BBC's iPlayer attract its greatest ever number of show requests on a given day, with an incredible 6.7 million, as viewers tuned in to their favourite programmes. Landmarks such as these spell out not just how the viewing habits of the British public are developing but also give a measure of the success of the new digital services, that are being created and are offering ever-greater convenience.
Meanwhile, the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) has reported that more than £1 billion was spent on downloaded films, music and games in the UK in 2012, representing an increase of 11.4% from 2011 and the highest annual total to date. And while cinema, DVD and Blu-ray remain the nation's favourite ways to watch a film, with new innovations such as UltraViolet - which allows consumers to buy a DVD or Blu-ray bundled together with the right to access that film online via the UltraViolet digital content library - film fans are being offered even more official ways to watch, both on and offline.
However, while the industry continues to innovate and meet consumer demand with new services such as Netflix, which launched in the UK last year, and formats such as UltraViolet, as well as evolving routes to purchase, innovation by itself is not enough, as along with the growing wealth of official services online, consumers are also presented with the temptation of illegal file sharing and streaming sites and services. This means that it's crucial now more than ever to direct to the wealth of both convenient and affordable official services where people can find great film, TV and video at the click of a button.
FindAnyFilm.com is a great place to start, as you can search for films in any format from cinema to DVD, Blu-ray and digital services and know they're all above board. So when consumers pay to watch film, TV and video using these services, they can be confident in the knowledge that they're helping to fund future filmmaking for us all to enjoy and enabling the industry to continue to invest in new innovative services too. And as consumers continue to use official services such as in 2013 they'll be helping to safeguard the future of the film, TV and video industry for years to come too.