Is the streaming revolution putting UK TV dramas at risk?

ITV News

09-05-2025

A survey of top TV insiders, seen by ITV News Arts Editor Nina, paints a picture of an industry where more and more of its talent is thinking of leaving
It has for years been a real UK success story.
In 2022 it was reckoned the UK TV industry generated around £20 billion for the economy.
But as leading lights from TV prepare to gather for the Bafta awards on Sunday there are many hoping that the issues clouding the horizon will not be forgotten.
The most nominated programme this weekend is Baby Reindeer which was made by Netflix.
There are also multiple nominations for the Disney+ series Rivals.
The streaming services have brought a viewing revolution to our screens: big US companies with deep pockets offering a wealth of choice to viewers.
But some leading industry figures here say the streamers' focus on making content that has a global reach is putting homegrown UK-focused stories in high-end drama at risk.
Making series like the huge hit Mr Bates v The Post Office is reported to have left ITV with a loss of £1 million last year, even though it was the most watched programme of 2024.
The need for domestic broadcasters to make drama that can be sold abroad to recoup costs has raised fears that British stories may be getting squeezed out in the future.
Peter Kosminsky the award-winning director of Wolf Hall and its sequel The Mirror and the Light said he would never be able to afford to make a drama like this in the current climate.
Competition from streamers, freezes in the BBC licence fee, a drop in advertising revenue not to mention inflation and the ongoing impact of the recent industry strikes in the US, have made the environment in the industry more difficult to navigate.
His proposal backed by a parliamentary committee of a 5% levy on revenue from streaming services' UK subscriptions could, he says, be used to help the industry here.
But he himself said the fact that it sounds an awful lot like a tariff in an era of Donald Trump, means the government would be very reluctant to take this up.
It has reportedly got no favour with the Culture secretary, amid concern it would affect investment in the UK creative industries.
There are widespread calls for enhanced tax incentives, particularly from those mainly freelance people, working in the Unscripted sector, things like documentaries, travel shows and reality TV.
Recent figures from the union Bectu seen by ITV News, show a slight improvement in some areas from a few months ago but still some alarming figures, including 43% of those surveyed saying they're currently out of work and a third seeing themselves leaving the industry in the next five years.
One freelance series producer I spoke to, Clare Fisher has started a support group on Facebook, TV Switch Up, for those like her who can't find work in the industry.
She has a huge wealth of experience but has had no work for more than a year.
She is now engaged in helping her peers use their skills garnered from work behind the camera to use in other industries.
She is clearly heartbroken that she can no longer pursue her vocation in TV.
On Sunday there will be a special Bafta award for ITV, given to the channel for its commissioning of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, a drama which famously changed government policy and brought the demise of the post office workers firmly into the spotlight.
ITV is being lauded for what one Bafta committee member has described as a 'brave commission.'
One of the shows stars, Lia Williams who plays the beleaguered head of the post office Paul Vennells, says right now dramas like these should be seen not as brave but as necessary commissions.