INTRODUCTION PRODUCTION 100


SURVEY


Dragonfly: Ambulance


Merman: Bad Sisters


significant change that has created some choppiness in the market, particularly with certain valuable buyers,” says Lightbox. “The US environment has been in flux for some time, with multiple mergers disrupting the business-as- usual model,” says Baby Cow. “We are hoping this settles down in the year to come.”


Closer to home, the possibility of Channel 4 privatisation has worried many indies. And with good reason too: the publisher broadcaster spent £671m on content in 2021 and worked with 164 independent producers. “The possible sale of C4 would profoundly affect the industry and we anticipate the uncertainty around this to also impact the UK industry in the short term,” says CPL Productions. Naked Television backs up this


The US environment has been in flux for some time, with multiple mergers disrupting the business- as-usual model. We are hoping this settles down in the year to come


point, saying it will be interesting to see if the change in Prime Minister will have any bearing on the decision to sell off C4. “The decision will obviously have a massive impact on the indie sector further down the line but will also impact confidence and business decisions in the meantime.” “The government’s arguments


for privatising Channel 4 make no sense and will reduce the number of suppliers in the sector,” says Studio Lambert. The government’s decision to freeze the BBC licence fee is also a


Autumn 2022 P10 televisual.com


concern for many indies, a number of whom report that the corporation is spending less as a result and express worries about BBC4 and CBBC moving online only in a few years.


“It feels the BBC actively wants to commission less and the looming talk of the privatisation of C4 could have dire consequences for the indie sector,” says Curious Films. Producers in the nations and regions are particularly worried, given that C4 and the BBC have ramped up out of London commissioning in recent years. “We’re extremely concerned like most of the sector about the potential privatisation of C4 and a watering down of their remit, and shrinking budgets at the BBC,” says Outline Productions, whose Outline Wales division is based in Chepstow. “The potential impact on nations and regions indies in a year or two could be chilling.”


The cost of living


Looking ahead, indies are concerned about the deteriorating state of the economy, and what that might mean for business.


At the time of writing, the Bank of England had just warned that the UK is expected to face its longest recession since the global financial crisis. Inflation is set to rise above 13%, while household income will “fall sharply” in 2022 and 2023.


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