NZ screen industry revenue grows 2% in 2015

NZ screen industry revenue grows 2% in 2015 as Auckland increases dominance while Wellington falters

By Sophie Boot

April 13 (BusinessDesk) - The New Zealand screen industry’s revenue grew 2 percent in 2015, with Auckland dominating production and post-production and commercial revenue improving.

Total revenue for the sector was $3.22 billion in 2015, up from $3.16 billion a year earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. The screen industry includes feature films, production, television broadcasting, distribution and movie screenings.

The production and post-production sector improved 9 percent to $1.57 billion in 2015, while film exhibition rose 7 percent to $172 million.

Revenue for television broadcasting and film and video distribution was kept confidential, but the two sectors combined were worth $1.48 billion in 2015, down from $1.56 billion in 2014. The vast majority of that was generated in Auckland, with about $2 million from the South Island.

Auckland continued to dominate on a regional basis, bringing in $2.5 billion, or 78 percent, of total revenue. Its revenue share has improved steadily from 70 percent in 2012, eating away at revenue in Wellington. The capital's revenue fell 15 percent to $602 million in 2015, giving it 19 percent of the market. In 2012, it brought in $889 million in revenue, or 27 percent of the national total.

Production and post-production growth was driven from Auckland, up 39 percent to $902 million, giving New Zealand's biggest city 58 percent of that market. Television programmes accounted for nearly half of that, with 84 percent of television programmes produced in Auckland. The city attracted 83 percent of government funding, 67 percent of private funding and 72 percent of international funding last year.

Wellington was hit by a 55 percent fall in feature film production and post-production revenue, which dropped to $289 million, with overall production revenue improved by an enormous increase in revenue from commercials and non-broadcast media. Those numbers were kept confidential, but the formats combined grew to $247 million in 2015, from $13 million in 2014.

Nationwide commercial revenue more than tripled to $545 million, which the statistics agency said was driven by increases in commercial-derived revenue from businesses involved in contracting activity.

Just 1 percent of revenue came from the rest of the North Island, and 3 percent from the South Island, with those proportions the same since 2012.

(BusinessDesk)

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