Int’l co-production spend soars in UK

International co-production spend in the UK rose more than 40% in the first half of 2026, according to data from the British Film Institute (BFI).

Six co-productions contributed £38.3m to the UK, an increase from £27m in the 2025 period, with shows such as BBC Northern Ireland and Canada’s CBC drama Committed among those filming.

The BFI also revealed that the revised spend on co-productions in the 12 months to June 2026 hit £97.9m, marking the highest figure since the High End TV tax relief was introduced in 2013.

The previous high had stood at £49.2m in 2021/22, a fiugure that dipped to just £29.8m in 2023/24 before rising to £42.4m in 2024/25.

The BFI data also revealed that the number of HETV programmes to start shooting in the first half of 2026 was 82, the same as the equivalent period in 2025.

UK spend on HETV programmes starting principal photography during the first half of 2026 was £1.7bn, a 19% decrease on the £2.1bn spent in 2025.

Inward investment on shows accounted for 78% of the UK spend on HETV programmes starting production in H1 2026, totalling £1.3bn, which was spent on 39 shows, or 48% of programming.

These included Disney+ and Hulu’s Alien: Earth season two, Netflix’s Department Q season two, Disney+’s Only Murders In The Building season six and Netflix’s Peaky Blinders sequel series.

This was a 23.5% decrease from the £1.7bn inward TV production spend in the equivalent 2025 period.

There were 37 UK productions, accounting for 45% of programmes, with a UK production spend of £337m, or 20% of total spend. These included Sky’s Meantime and BBC’s Blue Lights series four, Old Town Murders, Reputation and Silent Witness series 30.

The total spend from the 37 productions was £337m, an increase from £332.3m over the equivalent 2025 period.

UK spend on feature-length single productions – including inward investment and local UK projects financed by broadcasters and streaming platforms – may be captured in the statistics for HETV, as these productions may apply for certification to access the UK’s HETV tax relief, if they are unable to express theatrical intention.

The BFI presents the half-year figures as ‘first reported’ to enable like-for-like comparisons; however, production data tends to be revised upwards throughout the year owing to lags in reporting from some productions, especially for domestic UK features with budgets of less than £500,000.