STUDIOS INDUSTRY
I n the wake of the post-pandemic streaming boom, there was a legitimate concern that the UK was running low on studio space. As the big streamers competed for subscribers, the demand for content soared. Behemoths like Netflix and Amazon were booking out studios for long periods, creating a strain on capacity that led to what felt like an urgent need for substantial infrastructural growth. As a result, the sector enjoyed huge investment, with the total square footage of studio space almost doubling in the span of a few years. The picture now, though, is a bit more complicated. The economy has faltered, and the writers’ and actors’ strikes caused severe ruptures to the production landscape. Yes, there have
been recent green shoots – like Disney pledging investment to the tune of $5 billion to UK/European production last year, or Amazon’s acquisition of the iconic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire – but the hard truth is that commissions are shrinking, traditional advertising revenues have thinned, and the industry is seeing fundamental shifts in the kind of content being made and the way audiences are consuming it. All of this has created an uncertain landscape for the country’s studio sector. Emma Norris, founder of The Studio Finder – a service that matches productions with studio space – has a bird’s-eye view, and describes the current state of affairs as a mixed bag. “Some studios are getting busier now, while others are working hard to fill
gaps in their calendars,” she describes. “There’s definitely been some uncertainty in the market over the past year or so, but there’s also optimism, especially as global demand for content continues to grow. Productions are understandably cautious with budgets, but there is a shared determination across the industry to keep things moving and continue finding creative solutions.” Shinfield Studios in Reading – which became fully operational last year and is now one of the UK’s largest facilities – is in an enviable position: fully booked through to the end of the year, with only a small amount of availability left to fill in 2026 – a combination of returning seasons and new features filling up the calendar nicely. “I think the phrase that sums things up is ‘quiet optimism’,”
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