The Christmas period saw the highest ever eBook download rate for eReader manufacturer Kobo, fuelled by the activation of hundreds of thousands of devices each day since Christmas Eve.

The Christmas weekend saw purchases increase fivefold from the previous biggest weekend – also in December, and on average, one eBook was sold every second.

“This holiday season broke every foreseeable record for Kobo, and we have exceeded our expectations driving several ebook downloads per second through the holidays,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo.  “I would like to thank our customers for choosing Kobo to start building their digital library – our success this holiday season is a precursor to a New Year with people reading more than ever thanks to eReaders, eBooks, and Kobo.”

Kobo also reported a tenfold increase in new customers over the Christmas period, with purchases being made in over 150 countries, while the total number of registered users nearly doubled compared to six weeks prior.