SURVEY


PRODUCTION 100 INTRODUCTION


L


ast year’s Production 100 was all about the devastating impact of


Covid-19 on the indie sector, and was carried out at a time when most production had ground to a halt. This year, by contrast, the


story is all about the recovery from Covid-19. Many production companies say business has bounced back, amid unprecedented demand for new programming from content-starved broadcasters and streamers.


IN RECOVERY However, it’s not a straight-forward recovery. Ask most indies how they are faring and they will reply, “It’s busy, but…” The word ‘but’ presages a long list of challenges that they – and many of their contemporaries – are facing. These include: rising costs as a result of Covid protocols; wage inflation amid talent shortages; struggles to secure talent, kit and studio space; a frazzled and exhausted workforce; growing competition; squeezed PSB budgets; battles to hold on to rights; and delays amid production bottlenecks.


“Because many productions


were placed on hold over the last 16 months, production is ramping up massively across the industry,” says Thames. “This is good news for those who have lost work, but it means off-screen talent is very scarce at the moment. Rates are rising accordingly, although not yet matched by rising budgets.” “It’s incredibly busy by all


accounts – so very competitive with a huge skills shortage,” adds Oxford Film and Television. Plimsoll says: “Coming out of a


bumpy period, the UK production sector is bouncing back. However the much discussed privatisation of Channel 4 is a cause for concern.” Looking ahead, Shine


Television speaks for many when it says: Business is “pretty good, although it will be another hugely challenging year.”


THE TOP 100 The turnover of the top 100 indies stands at £1.9 billion this year. It’s difficult to compare this figure with last year’s survey as there isn’t one; such was the havoc wrought by the pandemic that Televisual didn’t ask producers to supply turnover


figures for the 2020 Production 100. Still, it is significantly lower than the £3 billion turnover that the top 100 posted in 2019, before the pandemic. The fall is, of course, largely


because of the pandemic. In particular, the turnovers of many drama companies plunged over the past year as they were unable to get their big budget shows into production. However, the fall is also due to


the changing cohort of companies in the Production 100. IMG, 2019’s top ranking company with a turnover of £462 million, no longer takes part because its parent company Endeavor Group Holdings listed on the New York Stock Exchange in April, and the Group does not break out income from its individual companies. IMG’s absence means that


Avalon is now the top ranked production company in the UK. The Taskmaster, Spitting Image and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver producer has had its biggest ever year, despite the pandemic, with 11 new commissions. With its operations spanning talent management through to


THERE ARE SO MANY NEW PLAYERS IN THE MARKET AND ALL OF I THEM ARE


CO INTERESTEDN UKMPANIES


Carnival’s The Last Kingdom


Stellify’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Autumn 2021 P01 televisual.com


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