Think London | Creative Industries

London is a world-class leader in film, broadcasting, publishing, music, advertising, the arts, design, fashion the performing arts

10 key facts about London’s creative industries.

Booming arts: London’s arts and cultural sector is worth between $42.5 and $49 billion [1] . The Tate Modern art gallery is among the world’s most popular modern art museums, drawing nearly twenty million visitors in since opening in 2000. It generates $49 million per annum for London as a whole [2].
Thriving film and video: The UK market is valued at $6.6 billion [ 3] . Key success factors include film-friendly regulation, more than 60 studios, 50 film festivals and historic, contemporary and futuristic locations. Major brands such as Working Title, DreamWorks and Warner Brothers have bases here.
Advertising trailblazer: The UK advertising industry, centring on London, is the fourth largest in the world. Total UK advertising expenditure approached $36 billion in 2005 [4]. London-based agencies such as Mother and St Lukes are consistently stretching boundaries in communication and working practices.
Global broadcast base: The estimated total revenue from the sale of UK TV programmes internationally was $1.2 billion in 2005, an increase of 21% on 2004 [5]. Brands with London bases include NTL, Freeview, BskyB, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, CNN, MTV Europe, Reuters, Associated Press, Disney, News International, Pearson, Reed, Time Warner and Virgin.
Publishing hub: the UK publishing industry is valued at more than $31 billion [6] and employs 150,000 people, 60,000 of whom work in London [7]. London has 210 newspapers; ten of the UK’s national 11 newspapers are produced from the capital.
Leading publishing brands: London-based organisations include Trinity Mirror plc, Guardian Media Group, News International, Associated Newspapers and General Trust, the Telegraph Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, Pearson Group.
World’s third largest music market: the UK is Europe’s market leader with consumer spending reaching $5.7 billion on 2005 [8] ; 90% of UK activity takes place in London. Major record labels in London include Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music, EMI and Warner Music Group.
Favourable regulation: The 2003 Communications Bill scrapped rules barring non-European Union companies owning the UK’s television and radio businesses, making the UK TV and radio market one of the most liberal in the world. The UK has some of the most respected and developed law protecting IP and trademarks.
Fashion HQ: London ranks among the ‘big four’ fashion centres alongside Milan, Paris and New York. The turnover of UK design companies is $20 billion annually [9] . It is estimated that London Fashion Week generates over $200 million per annum for the London economy [10].
Third largest sector of employment: More than half a million people are employed in the creative industries sector in London, and 1 in 5 of all new jobs in London are in the creative industries [11].

Think London has helped numerous creative companies access opportunities in London. We work closely with professional service providers and the UK Film Council, Film London, Creative London, the Arts Council and OFCOM.

[1] The Creative Capital, London Higher, 2004. Based on figures of £25-29bn from London Cultural Capital, GLA, 2004
[2] Tate Modern website Apr il2007
[3] Film Market. 2006. Keynote
[4] Advertising Association statistics, September 2006.
[5] www.culture.gov.uk
[6] Publishing in the UK. Nov 2006. Datamonitor
[7] ONS 2005
[8] Music Industry report 2006, Keynote
[9] The Business of Design, Design Council, 2005
[10] London Fashion Week press release March 2007
[11] UK Trade and Investment (UKTI)