LOS ANGELES, March 7(Xinhuanet)-- Sales and rentals of DVD"packaged goods" will be the key growth driver for electronic entertainment in the five largest European countries, according toa study released Monday by In-Stat.

In-Stat, a high-tech market research firm, said the value of DVD sales and rental markets in Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain will grow to nearly 17 billion US dollars in 2009 from about 9.3 billion US dollars during 2004.

Locally-produced content will represent the fastest growing DVDsegment while Hollywood studios also report strong growth for sales of movie DVDs, In-Stat said.

Consumers in the five major European markets are migrating awayfrom traditional analog broadcasting to digital pay-TV services, but free-to-air digital terrestrial services will show the strongest growth rates, according to the market research firm.

The number of households receiving digital terrestrial servicesin these markets will jump from 4.9 million in 2004 to 23.7 million in 2009, In-Stat predicted.

New digital delivery services such as digital terrestrial and IP-TV are not likely to supplant the DVD business, but rather bring digital entertainment to people by adding either convenience,mobility, or improved accessibility, said Gerry Kaufhold, an analyst with In-Stat.