Smaller UK production industry inevitable, heavyweights suggest

Industry heavyweights at some of the UK’s best-known production companies have said the sector is likely to continue to shrink over the coming years, despite appetite for high-quality remaining strong. 

Expectation TV’s co-chief exec Tim Hincks, Sister Group’s Jane Featherstone and Quay Street’s Nicola Shindler shared the stage at the RTS London Convention, highlighting bith the challenges the production sector will continue to face, and reasons for optimism.

Hincks, whose company has been behind shows ranging from Prime Video’s Clarkson’s Farm to the BBC’s Alma’s Not Normal, said it was inevitable that the traditional TV sector would shrink.

“Everyone’s fully aware of the freelance crisis going on out there, so yes, it will be a smaller industry…“I remember Broadcast would do articles asking if there were too many indies , and I always felt like the market would decide - and now, the market is deciding. It is getting smaller.”

Shindler, who set up ITV Studios-backed Quay Street five years ago, agreed that the industry will shrink but said opportunities remain for companies nimble enough to adapt to changing viewing habits.

Shindler said her focus is on creating a business that operates like a “market stall”, offering a variety of shows to a range of buyers rather than cosying up to one or two particular clients.

“The people who will carry on and succeed and keep going and yes there will be fewer of us - are the people who can diversify and give people what they want and make sure they have enough broad ideas that can cover whatever people are looking for.”

Hincks added that while the traditional sector may shrink, the appeal of British content will only grow further.

“You’ll find the [production companies] who are still going are the ones who still understand how to make British shows… how to craft it and how to be trusted by the platforms who want to work with us.”

Jane Featherstone, co-founder and chief creative officer at Sister, said the industry is currently experiencing a “reset” and added that her group is actively exploring more options around creators to tap into new talent.

The company acquired After Party Studios in April and the scripted veteran said Sister is looking to capitalise on talent creating content on YouTube and TikTok.

“We’ll follow that - we love doing premium work but at the same time we need to be exploring talent and to find out where they are producing into,” Featherstone continued. 

She added that she expects “premium talent will end up on YouTube and TikTok over time, because great talent wants to jump out of bigger mainstream audiences and they’ll do that alongside.”

Featherstone said she expected “independence of mind” from producers would continue into the future despite the evolving sector.

“And that’s in whatever form it takes and that isn’t the traditional indie model that we’ve had, necessarily. I like being able to play the field and work out where the opportunities are, and we have to have that for our talent - we need to be able to look at an idea and say it is best served [at that buyer] over there and do that.

“That’s the game we play, and we’re motivated by making great work as producers. That’s ultimately what gets us up in the morning.”