This time last year, I wrote that it had been a difficult 2023 in the broadcast sector. It’s been a tough 2024 too – particularly in the nations and regions.
However, our leaders say there are positive signs on the horizon, as they navigate what one calls a “rollercoaster ride” of the last few years.
Sinead Rocks, Channel 4’s Managing Director, Nations & Regions
Recent years have been really challenging for the creative industries. That’s not going to change overnight, but I’m hopeful that we can help take a step in the right direction in 2025, particularly with what Channel 4 has planned for its work across the Nations and Regions.
In 2025 Channel 4 will be redoubling its efforts to have even more impact across the UK through three core areas of its business – skills, people and content.
Next year we will double the budget of 4Skills, our training and career development programme, to £10 million. This includes an ambitious two-year £6 million programme, Accelerate, to fund progression roles, build skills and retain production talent in the nations and regions.
4Skills will also nurture the next generation of commissioning talent with the launch of an Assistant Commissioning Editor programme in Channel 4’s hub cities and Leeds. And we will invest in skills support for regional independent production companies and work event closer with National and Regional screen agencies.
2025 will see our colleagues in Manchester move to a new office which will double our current footprint in the city. And we will advertise new roles across all of our locations – Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Bristol – prioritising our recruitment outside of London – a really simple but significant policy change which will open up opportunities for people across the UK. And as we set our sights on having 600 roles outside of London, we are also offering relocation packages to London-based staff so they can move to our regional bases.
And the appointment of Jo Street as Channel 4’s new Director of Commissioning, Nations and Regions, will give a renewed focus on our work with indies across the UK. Jo, a passionate advocate of the amazing talent in the Nations and Regions, will help Channel 4 ensure that voices and ideas from across the UK are heard by all of the UK across our platforms.
Next year is already shaping up to be really busy and super exciting, here’s to 2025!
Lynn Saunders – Director of Liverpool Film Office, Alison Gwynn – CEO of North East Screen, Caroline Cooper Charles – CEO of Screen Yorkshire, Rob Page – MD of Screen Manchester – Screen Alliance North
We’re looking forward to 2025 as the UK’s screen industry is poised for extraordinary growth with the Screen Alliance North regions (the North West, Yorkshire and the North East) taking centre stage. Thanks to unprecedent investment in infrastructure, skills development, and regional initiatives, the North is transforming into a powerhouse for film and high-end television (HETV) production. By 2025, the value of the UK’s film and HETV production industry is expected to soar from £5.64 billion in 2021 to an impressive £7.07–£7.66 billion. (Source: Screen Skills) This dramatic rise reflects the global appetite for UK-based productions, with the North of England emerging as a key player in meeting this demand. Efforts to decentralise the UK’s media industry are already paying off, with the North gaining recognition as a vibrant hub for major productions such as Peaky Blinders, 28 Years Later and The Regime. This decentralisation is not only boosting the local economy but also reshaping the industry by opening doors for emerging talent outside London.
The North’s studio capacity is expanding rapidly to accommodate this growth. Liverpool’s The Depot now boasts two state-of-the-art 20,000 sq. ft studios, with a third on the way. These facilities are fuelling the region’s ability to host blockbuster productions while fostering local talent pipelines. With UK studio capacity set to double by 2025, the North is leading the charge in creating a world-class production landscape. Space Studios Manchester has more than 85,000sq ft of stages dedicated to TV and film production, development plans continue in Sunderland for Crown Works Studios and a Production Village development in Hartlepool and expansion of Yorkshire’s Production Park has recently been announced.
The North’s growing screen sector presents immense opportunities—and some challenges. Here’s what’s on the horizon for Screen Alliance North in 2025:
- Staying ahead of innovation through regular training in cutting-edge tools, software and workflows will be critical to match the industry’s rapid technical evolution.
- Championing inclusion, by promoting inclusive hiring and training practices to ensure the workforce reflects the diversity of regional beneficiaries.
- Retaining our local talent; we will continue to develop and retain homegrown talent, which is vital to sustaining production growth.
- Policy and investment will be prioritised to ensure continued funding in order to unlock the full potential of the North’s screen sector.
Screen Alliance North is a skills partnership created by Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester and Screen Yorkshire, supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding.
Andy Waters, Head of Studios, dock10, MediaCity
One of the big trends we’ve seen emerge during 2024 is the industry’s deepening interest in AI. As this new technology starts to really impact our wider lives, we’ve seen organisations from across the industry exploring how they can use AI to improve efficiencies. There’s certainly a lot of excitement and expectation for this new technology.
A more tangible trend has been the entertainment sector adopting virtual studios. The industry has seen how successful virtual studio productions are for sports broadcasting, where they are now well established, and this has inspired more and more production companies to explore how they can translate that success into the entertainment sector. This year we’ve seen a lot of interest from production companies inquiring about how they can use the photorealistic capabilities of virtual studios to create entertainment shows with a big Saturday Night feel on a lower weekday budget.
In 2024 we’ve also seen the trend of productions being spread ever more thinly across the country. This is being driven by quotas and the perceived need for content to be made in even more locations, even though there is simply not enough content being made for every city to become a production hub.
I think another trend that we should acknowledge is that it’s been a tough year for everyone in the industry. 2024 has been a year of restricted budgets and a lack of new show commissions that has left many industry organisations and individuals struggling.
Despite all the interest and anticipation around AI, productions are not yet coming in and asking for AI cameras or kit. There are lots of ideas, conversations, and even experiments in using AI to help make entertainment television shows more efficient, and with so many people exploring the new technology it’s only a matter of time before AI becomes part of the production process in some way.
However, virtual studios is a trend that has very much landed with the industry and is already having a significant impact. Production companies are always looking for ways to make content even better and to produce it more cost effectively, and there’s a growing realisation that virtual studios can do both for entertainment shows. We’re seeing production companies increasingly choose virtual studios as an alternative way to get programmes made. For example, virtual studios enable the creation of really high-impact broadcast-quality pilots at a fraction of the cost. And the big impact visuals they bring to the screen makes them especially appealing, so that beyond the pilots and sizzles production companies are turning to virtual studios for whole productions runs – taking full advantage of the ‘Saturday Night’ big budget impact they deliver and the dramatic cost savings they bring.
Unfortunately, the shift of content production away from established centres of excellence is impacting the industry and the people who work in it. Over the past decade, many organisations and individuals left London to work on productions that were being moved to regional centres. Many of these have grown to be recognised as centres of excellence for television: they have benefitted from significant investment in production facilities and in the teams that work there, making them the perfect place to make great TV. However, the current trend of moving production out of these creative clusters to new locations is unsettling for both organisations and individuals. It’s a trend that makes it difficult for people to commit to life-changing relocations and that is making careers in our industry less attractive.
On top of this, the impact of reduced budgets and reduced commissioning of new shows is a trend being felt in every area of our industry. It’s making it a very difficult and unsettled time for organisations and individuals with a lack of certainty and security that brings inevitable challenges for everyone. Those within the industry are increasingly nervous, and those considering careers in the industry have pause for thought – neither of which provides the positive impetus which has driven UK television to such great heights over the decades.
Looking ahead to 2025, while we don’t expect our customers to be demanding AI next year, it’s just too soon for that, we do expect the interest around AI to continue. As it touches ever more areas of our everyday lives, the expectation will grow that AI can bring benefits around cost and efficiency for television production. But I think the industry will start to scrutinise the costs much more closely to ensure that an investment in whatever AI tech emerges is more than a technology trend and is genuinely financially viable and worthwhile.
Virtual studios is a trend that is going from strength to strength and we expect to see a lot more interest in it from the entertainment sector next year. The technology is proven and continues to improve further, with production companies recognising the benefits in terms of high-impact production values and huge cost savings.
We see the quota-driven dispersal of productions across the country not only continuing but even increasing if it is allowed to become a trend-driven exercise. This will bring more uncertainty at a time when facilities, production companies, and broadcasters should be working together to manage the challenges the industry faces. Crucially, the industry needs to agree where content should be made and support these creative clusters to ensure they have enough work to keep them viable.
Tom McLennan, MD, Whisper North (Wheel of Fortune, Pictionary)
Turns out ‘Survive to 2025’ was a bit optimistic, and yet it’s been invigorating to take a fresh look at our strategies and get creative with industry partners to come up with production & technology offers that bring something new to the table.
Broadcasters will always need content, but with reduced budgets, they are taking fewer risks and looking for more than a straight commission for their money.
We’ve doubled commissions on two of our shows by securing a UK and Australian series and filming them back-to-back. The ripple effect is significant: Broadcasters share costs, crews get longer gigs and suppliers get double the hire time. I don’t have to tell you what a double commission means for an indie.
There’s never shame in giving clients what they want: That’s the model of every successful company in the world. Right now, that means the safety of known IP and exciting talent. That doesn’t just mean reboots; I’m actively looking for IP proven in other markets that could work for UK audiences.
Despite the climate, it feels like we’re at the start of a renaissance. We’ll see more commercially funded programmes and cross-collaboration, here and abroad, particularly with the US which is facing a similar existential crisis. Same shows but different money.
We’re focusing on hub models in 2025, whether that’s using an existing set-up to save on costs or creating our own hub and generating multiple commissions from it. And we’re not shying away from ambition. Being part of a multi-genre group, we’re set up to deliver premium production at scale anywhere in the world. If we’re successful, we’ll be better off than we were in the ‘good old days’.
2025 is the year of collaboration, domestically and globally, to create exciting new business models and compelling offerings as the industry adapts to the new market.
Mark Hedgecoe, Head of Rogan Scotland (Binge Drinking & Me, The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince)
Television in Britain feels like it is going through one of the biggest changes in its history, as broadcasters finally do what’s been long-promised and prioritise their digital offerings over their linear channels.
Together with the continuing funding squeezes and cuts in commissionable hours, it has created an unsettlingly turbulent time for independent TV producers. And regardless of what you make or where you are based, few would bet on the coming year being any less bumpy.
Based in Glasgow, at Rogan Scotland we’ve been focussing on high-end documentaries and in 2025 we intend to build on our reputation for premium factual programming. In a world where budgets are tighter than ever, producers are having to be ever more resourceful about how to fund their shows. We’re looking to partner with an increasingly wide range of stakeholders – not just broadcasters, distributors and co-producers, but engaged third parties like screen agencies and media content specialists – in order to deliver programmes of impact and scale.
One advantage we have in Scotland is the TV talent. In 2025 I’m looking forward to continuing to work with teams who are creative and enterprising, resilient programme makers who can roll with the punches but lovetelling compelling stories to a broad TV audience.
Let the roller coaster continue…
Mike Carr, CEO of Crowd Network (For The Love of Rugby, FC Bullard, We Are Chelsea)
2024 has been a year of consolidation in the podcast industry, especially for independent companies who have been navigating the recent choppy waters. Those who have survived have come out the other side stronger with robust business models and 2025 is bright and full of potential. In 2025 podcasting will continue to develop as a truly multi-platform media.
Video podcasts are here to stay – despite resistance from some in the industry. That’s fine because it doesn’t work for everyone. However, from Crowd’s recent experience listeners are increasingly seeking out this content that offers the visual element alongside the audio.
YouTube is the most preferred podcast platform in the UK, ahead of Spotify and Apple – and the audience skews significantly younger which is attractive to brands. Moreover, YouTube allows for much easier discoverability and has a massive user base compared to even the biggest podcast apps.
Crowd launched two YouTube channels towards the end of 2024 – For the Love of Rugby and FC Bullard. They have both brought in a significant new audience for both podcasts and have allowed us to secure significant multi-channel brand partnerships. Brands are also recognising the power of our shows Tik-Tok and Instagram channels to amplify the content.
Those podcast companies that recognise this multi-channel approach will increasingly be able to negotiate big brand partnerships if they have the right talent and a creative team that can deliver the campaigns. In 2024 Crowd has invested markedly in our video and social media resource, and that will continue in 2025.
2025 will see less of a reliance on the traditional audio Host Read Advertising model. Brands want more 360 campaigns, which also include live shows. HRA’s are still an important revenue source, but the percentage of overall revenue for Crowd will continue to fall in 2025.
Companies will increasingly see podcasting as a creative and refreshing way to tell their stories and build communities – and importantly own that content. These have been known as “branded podcasts” – but they are so much more. Crowd works with the likes of Cheslea FC Women and Red Bull creating video-first podcasts and amplifying the content via their own social media channels.
