Foreword

Welcome to the 2017 edition of Media Metrics, Deloitte's annual definitive review outlining the scale and dynamics of the UK media and entertainment sector. This exciting and creative sector is now £96 billion in size, a £10 billion increase on 2016.

Our index ranks the top 100 companies in the UK media and entertainment sector, with the largest company by revenue, Liberty Global plc generating £14.8 billion, and the 100th largest £82 million. Our index also ranks the top 100 companies by revenue growth, by profit, and by profit growth. Through these top and bottom line business metrics, the dynamism in this growing industry can be described and examined.

The review covers business to business, as well as business to consumer companies, within which are the following sub-sectors (listed in order of revenue size, highest to lowest): TV Production and Distribution; Advertising; Information Publishing and Events; News Publishing; Film Production and Distribution; Video Gaming; Magazine Publishing; Book Publishing; Music Publishing and Distribution; and Social Media. Some of the companies in this report generate all their revenues from the media sector; others have diversified into other areas.

In this report, as well as looking at the revenue and profitability of the 100 largest media and entertainment companies, we also look at some of the core emerging themes that are likely to affect the performance of the industry, including:

  • Special FX. Foreign exchange and its impact on interpreting business metrics for the UK's largest media and entertainment companies, given the global nature of the creative sector.
  • Large as live. The rising importance of in-person events and live content, despite the rising capability of digital alternatives. We look at the financial performance of live across: trade events, TV and radio, music and cinema. We also look at the array of live content via on-demand platforms.
  • Join the subs club. The value of subscription for content businesses. The ad-funded online model remains alluring – for its potential global marketplace of billions of users - and frustrating – given the challenges in monetising this model. We look at the growing focus on subscription among publishers, and how this follows in the commercial furrows ploughed by business information services, telecom, pay TV, music and, interestingly, certain consumer goods.
  • Measure for measure. The increasing complexity of content measurement, particularly with video and advertising. Once upon a time there was simply a television in a living room and a handful of channels. Now there are ever more screens, most of which are portable, multiple video formats and a growing, potentially confusing array of performance metrics. Advertising is fundamental to the funding of content creation; measurement is core to advertising. Making measurement meaningful and consistent is critical. We look at the current landscapes and discuss potential resolutions.
  • Deal or no deal. We examine M&A trends, at both the global and UK level. There has been a tangible boom in media and entertainment sector M&A both within the UK and internationally in recent years, and 2017 continues that trend. We outline the drivers for this, the dynamics across the sub-sectors, and the motivations of the key players.

The creative economy is a key platform for the UK's growth. Our Media Metrics report underlines that fact, and shines a light on the scale of the major companies as well as the likely drivers for profitable business performance. We trust you will enjoy both the index itself, and the narrative behind it.

To read this Report in full, please click here.

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