Distributors Survey: Optimism makes a welcome return

The distribution sector has faced the wrath of a TV industry in revolt over recent years, simultaneously adapting to secure product in a constrained market while also adjusting the way it sells said product to buyers with less to spend.

It has been a tough period to endure, and perhaps explains why more than half of respondents to our Distributors Survey 2025 say the sector has not enjoyed a strong year despite turnovers largely rebounding.

The headline takeaway is that BBC Studios is back at the top of the pile, but the broader market remains highly competitive and strained. “Challenged” is how most execs describe the distribution world at present, and it’s not hard to see why: production inflation is proving stubborn; spending levels are static or decreasing; and securing pipeline is a growing problem as the effects of diminished commissioning hit home.

This is not just a UK issue, either. For the first time, we have included international companies in our turnover table, allowing for a broader representation of this most global of sectors. And while some insights might come from companies further afield, they correlate strongly with what’s happening in the UK.

There are green shoots, however: US market uncertainty is subsiding, YouTube offers potential, and strategies to mitigate turbulence are working, in places. This optimism plays out in the numbers, too: more than 75% of respondents feel more confident about the next 12 months. Distributors are by no means out of the woods yet, but most companies seem able to at least see the wood for the trees.

• Richard Middleton, Broadcast head of content, international