SURVEY
PRODUCTION 100 INTRODUCTION
Production 100 was all about new opportunities for producers in the ‘golden age of TV’ as streamers upped spending. The 2020 Production 100 is dominated by one issue – the Covid-19 pandemic. Coronavirus has caused
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the most profound business disruption to producers since the birth of the indie sector in the 1980s. Covid-19 has become “bigger than anything else the industry has faced,” says Britain’s Got Talent producer Thames. Other issues have paled into insignificance by comparison. In the short term, most indies
switched to survival mode as lockdown was announced in March – halting production, closing offices, working from home, furloughing staff, cutting costs and focusing on preserving cash. With production slowly
restarting in the summer, many have begun to think about the longer term impact of Covid-19. As in so many industries, the pandemic has accelerated change that was already taking place. Notably, producers talk about
a faster shift in power away from weakened ad funded terrestrials
hat a difference a year makes. The theme of 2019’s
like Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV and towards cash-rich global subscription services like Netflix and Amazon. Home working and remote production have moved from theory to practice in the space of months, with huge implications for costs and ways of doing business. More than anything, though,
Covid-19 has demonstrated the remarkable inventiveness and resilience of indies. “The UK production sector are a creative, tenacious and adaptable lot,” says Location, Location, Location producer IWC Media. “Most, but not all of us, will get through this.” The 2007-8 financial crisis
forced many indies to rethink their business and look to international markets, particularly the US, for new customers. In the same way, the pandemic will one day be looked upon as a turning point for UK production. “There’s a long history of creative industries turning challenges into new and even better output,” says Red Dwarf: The Promised Land producer Baby Cow. “There are bound to be examples of exceptional creativity to come out of this very tough time.” All of these issues and more
will be explored throughout the Production 100 over the
following pages, but first a note about the survey itself. The pandemic has also changed the Production 100 for the first time in its long history. This year, we’ve taken the decision not to ask for financial figures; it hardly seemed fair to rank companies based on turnover when so many had been forced to halt production. Instead, the Production 100
acts as an A-Z showcase of the UK’s most impressive production companies, and we’ve included all those who have taken part in the survey.
A sudden halt The March lockdown brought a stop to almost all production for indies. Shine TV speaks for many when it reports “Covid-19 has been pretty catastrophic for our business with some of our commissions cancelled, and almost all others delayed.” True North says shows were
paused, others abandoned, and ideas on the verge of greenlight left hanging. Rare TV says it lost one commission and eight projects were suspended during lockdown. Lime says it had three shows cancelled, with others delayed for a minimum of three months, leading to a reduction in turnover.
The pandemic will one day be looked upon as a turning point for UK indies
Warp Films’ Little Birds
Keo’s Once Upon a Time in Iraq Autumn 2020 P01
televisual.com
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