LONDON: It has been an impressive year for UK television exports, according to the latest UK Television Exports Report, with sales to international markets in 2015/16 rising to £1.326 billion (€1.544bn), a 10 per cent increase from £1.205 billion in 2014/15. The report also shows a sizeable increase in activity in the Chinese market, which is up 40 per cent on 2014/15. A co-production treaty between the UK and China signed in December 2016 means that this figure could be set to rise even more in years to come.
The USA remains the UK’s largest export market, and sales increased by 16 per cent in 2015/16 to £497 million. Australia is the second largest market, with sales of £106 million. Exports of finished television programming remained the largest source of revenue at £668 million, in line with 2014/15. However, sales of Digital Rights increased 79 per cent to £248 million (almost a fifth of total revenue) making it the second largest source of TV revenue.
Mark Garnier, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for International Trade (DIT) and author of the report’s foreword said: “From The Night Manager to Downton Abbey, UK TV exports continue to go from strength to strength and UK programmes are some of the most recognisable and eagerly anticipated in the world. British innovation and creativity are considered among the greatest assets of the sector and this report shows that there is important future growth potential supported, in part, by funding from the Department for International Trade. From small creative digital and animation companies to major production houses, the UK leads the world in television production and I look forward to continuing to work with the sector to grow UK exports.”
