Report

The immersive economy in the UK 2019

This report, co-authored by Immerse UK and Digital Catapult, provides an overview of the scale, nature and economic value of the virtual, augmented and mixed reality ecosystem, its key drivers and barriers. The report explores the geographical and industrial spread of companies working with immersive technologies and the growing numbers of innovative products, services, applications and hubs in the UK.

“The UK is currently Europe’s largest market for virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), tapping into what is predicted to become a US$160 billion immersive technologies market.” – Fiona Kilkelly, Immerse UK

Major advances in head-mounted displays have opened up new opportunities for the entertainment and services sectors, location-based experiences are attracting new audiences and consumer uptake is on the rise. At the same time, the key enabling technologies of artificial intelligence, machine learning and 5G are expected to make immersive experiences richer and more accessible, creating further opportunities content and application producers.

However, the technology and global markets are fast-moving and highly competitive.

The insights and evidence provided in this report will help to identify new opportunities and remove barriers to growth, ultimately realising the full potential of the sector and positioning our UK immersive tech businesses front and centre on an international stage.

This report enables businesses, policymakers, investors and educators to make more informed decisions by tracking the progression of the immersive technologies economy, and by examining how barriers and opportunities are shifting over time.