TV Production Turnover Increasing, Says Report

Defying last year's reports of a downturn in TV advertising spend due to recession-induced cutbacks and moves to online advertising, a North East marketing and communications company is reporting an increase in TV production turnover for the fifth consecutive year.
With a double-figure percentage increase in their already seven figure TV production turnover in 2008/2009, Robson Brown puts part of the growth down to the cost-effective rates associated with film crews based outside of London, which has always attracted commissioning clients.
But the recent introduction of high-end editing software, such as Smoke and Flame, to regional studios and a notable increase in the production of TV sponsorship idents, or bumpers, has seen a significant drive in TV production up north.
The report comes on the back of the Agency’s most recent national TV production campaign in which it devised and directed a TV bumper advert for Britain’s biggest bed specialist, Dreams, as well as securing its sponsorship of one of Britain’s most highly watched, lucrative slots, Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother.
The sponsorship bumpers, seen by over six million viewers each night, follow a string of high profile sponsorship and advertising campaigns across the nation’s TV screens that have been produced and secured by Robson Brown’s TV and Film team.
TV Producer Steve Hunneysett, who has headed up TV and Film at Robson Brown for the last decade, commented: "While the industry remains inundated with national stats on the decline of TV advertising, our experience has demonstrated a real resilience within the region.
"It's true that the rush towards online advertising combined with the current financial climate has led to a reduction in TV budgets in real terms. However, it would seem that a number of marketing directors are countering these effects by moving production out of London."
He continued: "Our portfolio of clients has included some of retail’s biggest names - the Co-op, SCS, Electrolux, Greggs, and Procter and Gamble – and the work just continues to move up north. In the last two months, we've renewed TV production contracts for London-based Dreams and the Manchester Arndale Centre, while we’re currently in production with top UK brand Flymo."
Robson Brown’s work for household-name clients such as Dreams, whose advertising coverage on ITV outstripped brands such as Mars, Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s in 2008, is continuing to highlight the North East’s stature as a major force in the creative industry.
(BMcN/BMcc)