International SVOD commissions boost UK
A rise in commissions from international streaming video on-demand (SVOD) platforms helped boost the UK’s production industry through 2016.
International SVOD commissions included Netflix shows The Crown (pictured) and Black Mirror, while spending from all international shows reached almost £470m for the year, according to a new report from media trade association Pact.
Spending from the UK’s public service broadcasters (PSBs) remained broadly static and non-PSBs spent roughly twice as much on new commissions.
The BBC dedicated the largest proportion of its commissioning budget – some 38% - to working with production companies with turnovers of less than £10m.
“These are potentially start-up companies and that’s a good thing,” said John McVay, of Pact, in comments to Broadcast.
“The BBC is clearly committed to working with smaller and more diverse companies. When I hear that the big guys are squeezing out everyone, the numbers don’t stack up.”
Most of the UK’s primary commissioning spend – 66% - was in the London area, with Scotland and the north-west of England taking most of the money in the regions.
Earlier this summer, figures from Screen Yorkshire revealed that the screen industry in the Yorkshire and Humber region grew at more than double the rate of the rest of the UK between 2009 and 2015.
Image: Netflix
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