Screen Industry Gross Revenue Tops $2.6 Billion

31 August 2006

Screen Industry Gross Revenue Tops $2.6 Billion

The New Zealand screen industry recorded gross revenue of over $2.6 billion in the 2005 financial year, Statistics New Zealand said today. Production and post-production work was the greatest contributor, earning $1.3 billion, with television broadcasting earning a further $1.0 billion. There were 2,058 businesses working within the screen industry in the 2005 financial year. Of these, 506 of these were production companies and 1,579 were independent contractors.

The level of turnover generated by the New Zealand screen industry in the 2005 financial year was comparable with both the forestry and logging industry ($2.9 billion) and the horticulture and fruit growing industry ($2.9 billion).

Thirty businesses received individual gross revenue of more than $10 million in the 2005 financial year. Television programme production was the dominant sub-sector in the industry, with 1,125 businesses (54 percent) working within this sub-sector in the 2005 financial year. Despite this, the feature film and short film sub-sector was the largest revenue earner, with 54 percent of the $1,294 million production revenue. The United States of America's $521 million was the largest revenue contribution to New Zealand production companies, although domestic sources also contributed $365 million. The Auckland and Wellington regions were the business base for 81 percent of all screen businesses in the 2005 financial year.

Recording activity by production companies showed that 78 percent of businesses filmed within the Auckland region and 42 percent filmed within the Wellington region during 2005. This is the first year that Statistics NZ has run the Screen Industry Survey, which measures the size and activities of the New Zealand screen industry.

A more detailed report, encompassing all details and data of the Screen Industry Survey 2004/2005, will be released in December 2006. Cathryn Ashley-Jones

Acting Government Statistician

ENDS

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