The Digital Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) announced the addition of Google to its membership with immediate effect.

Supplying a vast catalogue of movies and TV shows across its Google Play and YouTube platforms, Google joins the DEGE as the trade body works to support and enhance the home entertainment industry and drive consumer engagement with new and emerging technologies across an increasing number of international territories.

Against a backdrop of year-on-year growth in the digital film market, driven in part by best in class collaborative activity spearheaded by the DEGE and sister organisation, the British Association for Screen Entertainment, Google joins incumbent members, including NBCUniversal, Warner Brothers, 21st Century Fox, Paramount, Lionsgate, Dolby, Technicolor and more, and becomes the first retail platform to take a seat on the DEGE Board.

Following on from addressing delegates at the London leg of this year’s DEG Roadshow, Lisa Rousseau, Head of TV and Film, EMEA, YouTube and Google Play will be joining the DEGE board, having also hosted a DEGE panel on digital retail best practice at a Google/YouTube EMEA Movies event earlier in the year. Talking about Google’s reasons for joining the DEGE, Rousseau underlined that collaborative approach, stating: “We’ve found real value in engaging with the DEGE as it has effectively driven much of the cross-category conversation that needs to take place as the home entertainment market evolves and shapes itself around adapting consumer needs. We look forward to working with colleagues on a global level to help shape the conversation going forward.”