Global Content Spend to Top $220 Billion

Global spend on content is expected to top $220 billion this year, a 14 percent gain on last year, per Ampere Analysis projections.

SVOD services are driving those gains, Ampere adds, with investments up 20 percent this year to $50 billion and a gain of over 50 percent since 2019 following the launch of a raft of new platforms. Notably, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock and Paramount+ contributed more than $8 billion to content spend in 2021.

“In 2022, we expect content investment to exceed $230 billion, primarily driven by subscription streaming services, as the battle in the original content arena intensifies—both in the U.S., but also in the global markets which are increasingly key for growth,” said Hannah Walsh, research manager at Ampere Analysis.

Comcast and its subsidiaries lead content investments at $22.7 billion, followed by Disney’s $18.6 billion. Netflix remains out front in the streaming space, responsible for 30 percent of SVOD content investments and 6 percent of all content investments this year with its $14 billion budget. Walsh noted, “Comcast and Disney invest heavily in sports rights, which—alongside their hefty investments in original content—contributed to their leading positions in the table. Sports rights made up over a third of both Comcast and Disney’s spend in 2021.”

Commercial and public-service broadcasters are still spending less than their 2019 levels but were up on last year following pandemic-related cutbacks and production delays.