UK Digital Entertainment Sector Shows Strong Payment Performance, But Laggards Remain

While the UK's digital entertainment companies are, on average, paying their bills significantly faster than the national average, a closer look reveals some stark disparities.

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 98
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 72.2/100
• UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100
• Difference between sector average and UK average: 22.2 points
• Highest PaymentCheck Score: 98.5/100 (WARNER CHAPPELL PRODUCTION MUSIC LIMITED)
• Lowest PaymentCheck Score: 36.1/100 (VIDENDUM PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS LIMITED)

What Stands Out

The digital entertainment sector's average PaymentCheck Score of 72.2 out of 100 is quite good, demonstrating a commitment to timely payments that's far better than the UK average of 50. However, there's a massive 62.4-point gap between the best and worst performers, indicating a real split within the industry. The presence of Amazon Digital UK Limited among the worst payers is pretty surprising, considering its size and resources.

Best Payers

1. WARNER CHAPPELL PRODUCTION MUSIC LIMITED - 98.5/100
2. UK PROGRAMME DISTRIBUTION LIMITED - 98/100
3. FRONTIER DEVELOPMENTS PLC - 96.33/100
4. EPIC GAMES UK LTD - 96.3/100
5. STUDIOCANAL LIMITED - 95.3/100

Worst Payers

1. VIDENDUM PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS LIMITED - 36.1/100
2. RED BEE MEDIA LIMITED - 41.1/100
3. BUZZ GROUP LIMITED - 41.67/100
4. AMAZON DIGITAL UK LIMITED - 44.1/100
5. DPLAY ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED - 44.2/100

Regional Patterns

The regional data, while limited by small sample sizes, suggests potential payment hotspots. Yorkshire and The Humber leads the pack with an average score of 86, although this is based on just one company, so that may not mean much. The East of England (83.9 avg, 5 companies) and Scotland (83.7 avg, 1 companies) also show strong performance, but more data is needed to draw definitive conclusions.

If you're dealing with late invoices from any of these firms, you can use this late payment calculator to understand your rights.

The takeaway: Despite a generally positive sector average of 72.2, suppliers should do their homework, as some digital entertainment companies, like VIDENDUM PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS LIMITED at 36.1, are significantly slower payers than others.