Device portability and reading convenience have had a positive impact on the global digital education publishing market, according to TechNavio (www.technavio.com).

With digitally published material, students, especially in the post-secondary segments, don't have to carry bulky textbooks, notes the research firm. E-readers, tablets and other devices provide easy access to the same content as a print book.

"Overall the convenience of e-textbooks will cement their place in the education sector over the forecast period," says Faisal Ghaus, Vice President of TechNavio.

The TechNavio report also emphasizes changes in value propositions, with the shift from print textbooks to digital media. As the supply chain shifts, publishers are finding it difficult to maintain a monopoly with high entry barriers.

"Competition is much higher in the digital environment than it is in print, which actually broadens the market for new entrants, especially small companies and self-publishers," says Ghaus. "Professors and academics can now publish their own textbooks and sell them online, which broadens the revenue sources in the market."