U.K. TV Production Sector Hits Record Revenues of £3 Billion

According to the 2019 Pact UK Television Census, Britain’s independent TV production sector saw more than £3 billion ($3.7 billion) in revenues last year, their highest level to date and up over 40 percent since 2008.

This represents an increase of 10 percent since 2017. Revenues have grown by over £500 million ($615 million) since 2012, a rate of 3.1 percent per year.

International revenue grew by 20 percent to £962 million ($1.2 billion), an increase of over 90 percent since 2013. This growth has been driven by a 28-percent increase in primary international commission revenues totaling £704 million ($866 million) in 2018. Domestic TV revenues were also up—by 3 percent to just under £1.9 billion ($2.3 billion)—but remain broadly flat since 2008. This is due to public-service broadcaster (PSB) commissioning spend falling annually while commissioning spend from multichannels continues to grow (up by £62 million [$76 million] to £321 million [$395 million]), more than doubling since 2008.

Income from SVOD commissioning increased substantially, up by 88 percent since 2017 to £280 million ($345 million), accounting for 40 percent of all international commissioning income.

Pact Chair Sara Geater commented: “These figures show that despite the challenges that indies face domestically, there is still a huge international market looking for quality British content. Indies large and small should make use of Pact’s fantastic resources, such as the Export Accelerator, to ensure they are taking advantage of all of the international opportunities available to them.”