MUMBAI: The big media and entertainment boys are at it, despite all round murmurings that the content production business is seeing a massive slowdown. At least, that’s what new intelligence from Ampere Analysis has revealed.
The research firm stated that while recent market challenges have impacted the TV and film production landscape, spending across the top six global content providers - Disney, Comcast, Google, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and Paramount Global - has grown since the pandemic. Combined spending across these groups will reach a new high of $126 billion in 2024 and account for 51 per cent of the total content spend landscape, up from 47 per cent in 2020. Original content spend remains the leading spend type across these providers, accounting for over $56 billion in investment and 45 per cent of their total spending since 2022.
Despite announced cutbacks among its linear and theatrical brands, Disney remains the largest contributor to the media landscape at 14 per cent of global investment in TV and film content in 2024. This has been supported by the full acquisition of Hulu at the beginning of 2024, adding an additional $9 billion in to Disney’s spend total.
Netflix is the top investor in global streaming content. It has averaged a total of $14.5 billion in annual investment in original and acquired programmes since the pandemic. Further growth is expected in 2025 through the acquisition of sports tights for NFL matches and WWE entertainment.
In total, $40 billion of the $126 billion is currently spent on these six operators’ subscription streaming services (including Disney+, Peacock, and Paramount+). This highlights the growing importance of these platforms as audiences move away from linear television in favour of the convenience and expansive catalogues available via streaming.
Google’s contribution to the content market comes via YouTube, and investment in programming through its revenue-sharing arrangements with content creators. While a different entity to other TV and film groups, YouTube continues to build its global presence through partnership deals with major content owners, making it the third largest contributor to the content landscape.
Despite production shutdowns caused by the US writers’ and actors’ strikes, streamers have continued to support the production landscape by pivoting towards more global strategies. International (non-US originating) programming accounts for 40 per cent of Paramount+’s and 52 per cent of Netflix’s spend in 2024. Such content is typically cheaper to produce, and effective in motivating new and niche audiences to subscribe to a platform, supporting revenues.
“Ongoing investment by major studios and streaming platforms into new programming will be key to keeping audiences engaged and entertained. We can expect the content landscape to see low-level growth in 2024 as production schedules recover from disruptions caused by the pandemic and the writers’ and actors’ union strikes. Looking forward however, overall growth in spend is set to plateau as companies look to refocus their output. This will include limiting commissioning volumes and prioritising strategic investments and profitability to counter the current challenges of the media market,” said Ampere Analysis investment analyst Peter Ingram, in his recent analysis made public today.
Pix Courtesy: The Walt Disney Company
