BLOOMSBURY GETS LIFT FROM ONLINE DRAMA

RISING demand for its library of online drama helped sales grow at Bloomsbury.

The publisher said its digital division had continued to perform well while its books business was boosted by new editions of the Harry Potter series.

Sales rose 15pc to £72.1m in the six months to August 31, while profit jumped from £100,000 to £1.7m.

Digital sales rose 15pc to £8.9m as drama students flocked to the recently launched Drama Online service. The digital library, where Scarlett Johansson ( pictured) is one of the stars, features over 1,700 plays, 350 audio plays and 150 hours of video from theatre publishers.

Boss Nigel Newton said: ‘It has been a very strong six months.’