Software Publishing in the UK - Industry Market Research Report

Strong systems: Software use continues to surge, driving up publishers' revenue

Software publishers provide a wide range of software, such as operating systems, applications and middleware, to businesses across a range of industries as well as software for household use. Software publishers' revenue is forecast to climb at a compound annual rate of 6.2% over the five years through 2022-23 to reach £4.7 billion. Software growth has been driven by rising IT and telecommunications adoption and technological developments. The industry has been characterised by acquisitions, as larger operators have sought to remain on top of market trends and protect their competitive positions by acquiring smaller businesses, particularly niche publishers. While internal research and development remains crucial, acquisitions have become common for many large software companies, especially those that offer a diverse range of goods and services.

This industry includes companies that publish ready-made non-customised software, engaging in activities such as marketing, translation, technical support and the design of packaging and documentation. It doesn’t include the printing of software onto discs, which is done by downstream distributors, or the programming of software, which is performed by software developers. Computer and video game publishing is also excluded.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.