U.K. Spend on TV & Film Production Sets Record at £4.7 Billion

The British Film Institute (BFI) has revealed that the U.K.’s film and high-end TV production spend in 2021 topped record levels at £4.713 billion, an increase of 86 percent on 2020’s figure.

The figures show inward investment spend on high-end TV (HETV) and HETV co-production reached £3.438 billion in 2021, a 180 percent increase on the prior year.

Inward investment film spend of £1,275.5 billion is down nearly 4 percent on 2020; however, a number of films started production in 2020 and, due to the impacts of the pandemic, carried on further into 2021.

The 2021 production statistics also reveal the increasing investment made by streamer platforms in single long-form productions. In 2021, there were 36 single domestic U.K. and inward investment productions, which contributed £737 million to the HETV spend of £4.09 billion.

Many of the titles—including The Peripheral (Amazon Studios), House of the Dragon (HBO), Bridgerton season two (Netflix), Indiana Jones 5 (Disney/Lucasfilm), Secret Invasion (Disney/Marvel Studios) and Batgirl (Warner Bros./DC)—received bespoke production support from the British Film Commission (BFC). The BFC has provided support to projects and companies accounting for 94 percent of the total inward investment HETV spend, and 90 percent of inward investment feature film spend in the U.K. in 2021.

Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission, said: “The demand for content has never been greater. As today’s figures show, the U.K. is enjoying a once-in-a-generation growth in production. The benefits are being felt right across our nations and regions, with large-scale investment in infrastructure and revenue into U.K. PLC that will directly benefit local communities. Existing production hubs are growing to accommodate the demand, and new hubs are developing throughout the U.K., bringing with them thousands of new jobs. The BFC is proud to have provided support to projects and companies accounting for 92 percent of the total inward investment high-end TV and feature film spend in the U.K. in 2021. We and our partners are determined to harness this phenomenal demand and support an ever-widening workforce to produce world-class content for global audiences.”

Ben Roberts, BFI’s chief executive, said: “The record-breaking level of film and TV production in the U.K. revealed today is good news for our industry and the U.K. economy and demonstrates the speed of the sector’s recovery. The groundwork for further growth is underway with expansion of studio spaces and production hot spots across our nations and regions, and working with industry to build up the skilled workforce that we need to meet demand and stay on top of our game. Government support for production with the screen sector tax reliefs and the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme have played an important part in the industry’s growth and recovery.

“The Culture Recovery Fund has been a lifeline for independent cinemas, and it’s great to see audiences returning to the big screen with Bond and Spiderman leading the way with phenomenal success and independent U.K. films such as Spencer offering such a range of different cinematic stories.”