DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3275f8/computer_software) has announced the addition of the "Computer Software Market Report 2008" report to their offering.

In 2007, the UK market for computer software was worth an estimated £9.75bn — a 7.7% rise in value over the previous year. Computer software has been a growth market since 2003, increasing at an average annual rate of 4.7% and outperforming other business-services sectors.

The market for packaged computer software can be divided into two principal sectors: business software, and leisure and entertainment software. This report subdivides business software into application software and systems software. Leisure and entertainment software refers mainly to games, played on PCs and consoles. While business software experienced steady growth over the period from 2003 to 2007, leisure and entertainment software saw a more erratic rise in sales, with a particular boost in 2007.

The UK computer-software industry is characterised by both global corporations and smaller firms, supported by strong trade associations and an educational environment that produces highly skilled staff. Demand for computer software has been encouraged by a period of sound economic growth, with low unemployment, low inflation and a government that has invested heavily in its pursuit of technological development.

The market is changing, with a large number of acquisitions, mergers and partnerships taking place in recent years. This has enabled the larger software producers to expand horizontally and offer a broader portfolio of products and services. It has presented challenges for smaller producers, which may also be targets for acquisition in the future.

The UK market for computer software will continue to grow in the near future, although at a slower pace than in recent years, mainly as a result of the slowdown in the UK economy. Higher growth rates for business software are likely towards the end of the forecast period. Ongoing projects in industry and government will help to maintain steady growth in investment.

Growing sales of entertainment and leisure software will help to sustain overall growth in the software market. Growth will be higher in the first part of the 5-year period, then will decline as the market matures and third-generation games consoles reach the end of their natural life cycles.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

1. Market Definition

2. Market Size

3. Industry Background

4. Competitor Analysis

5. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

6. Buying Behaviour

7. Current Issues

8. The Global Market

9. Forecasts

10. Company Profiles

11. Further Sources

Companies Mentioned:

BMC Software Ltd

CA PLC

Hewlett-Packard Ltd

IBM United Kingdom Ltd

Kaspersky Lab UK Ltd

McAfee International Ltd

Microsoft Ltd

Misys PLC

Oracle Corporation UK Ltd

The Sage Group PLC

SAP (UK) Ltd

SAS Institute Ltd

Symantec (UK) Ltd

Adobe Systems Europe Ltd

Atos Origin

EMC Computer Systems (UK) Ltd

Fujitsu Services Holdings PLC

Logica PLC

RM PLC

Unisys Ltd

Leisure and Entertainment Software

Activision UK Ltd

Atari United Kingdom Ltd

Codemasters Group Ltd

Eidos Interactive Ltd

Electronic Arts (UK) Ltd

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH

Microsoft Ltd

Nintendo of Europe GmbH

SEGA Europe Ltd

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd

Take Two Interactive Software Europe Ltd

THQ (Holdings) Ltd

Ubisoft Ltd

Vivendi Games (UK) Ltd

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3275f8/computer_software

Research and Markets
Laura Wood
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