Search set for most information growth

The information industry is set for considerable growth over the next three years, with the search, aggregation and syndication (SAS) sector likely to surpass other areas.

That is according to a study from market research firm Outsell, which forecast that the global information industry will generate revenues of £448 billion by 2010.

Over the course of the next three years, the researchers projected a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5 per cent for the information industry as a whole.

The SAS sector, in contrast, is expected to see a CAGR of 22.7 per cent over the same three years to reach revenue of $75 billion by 2010.

"The growth of the SAS segment alone is a powerful demonstration of the fundamental shifts in product creation, distribution, and business models being driven by nimble competitors with e-DNA," said Outsell´s chief analyst, Leigh Watson Healy.

He added that traditional media firms and publishers now face the challenge of boosting productivity "while investing in the people and processes that will deliver growth from a shift to the digital world".

The report forecast that news providers and publishers would experience a 2.5 per cent decrease in revenue over the three-year period.