Ernst & Young: Rapid growth in Romanian IT&C exports, local market subdued

Romania is fertile ground for software developers, but despite the global successes of Romanian apps, the local market remains limited, where consumers are yet to fully embrace media and entertainment content and apps. A new study by consultancy firm Ernst and Young found the opportunities for entertainment and media digital content are increasing, helped along by a growing number of platforms; smartphones, tablets and games consoles, as well as PCs or laptops. Globally, more and more people have high speed internet access, which again increases the potential market. The CEOs interviewed by Ernst and Young for the report believed that new technology enabled offerings, growth in emerging markets and new digital distribution channels provided the greatest opportunities for growth.

In Romania, despite total IT&C turnover having recovered to pre-crisis levels, exports are much stronger than the local market. “Exports continued to grow in this sector throughout the post-crisis period, exceeding by 37 percent the level registered in 2008, while incomes from the domestic market have grown slower, by only 6 percent,” reads the Ernst and Young report. Appstore currently has over 400 Romanian developed applications, with a similar number available on Android. According to Ernst & Young, the number of Romanian apps will increase fivefold by the end of the year. Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com photo source: photoexpress