Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

UK TV and film industry reacts to Autumn Statement

23/11/2023

Organisations including the UK Screen Alliance, British Film Commission, BFI and Bectu have reacted to Jeremy Hunts plan to provide more additional tax relief for expenditure on visual effects

By Jenny Priestley

Published: November 23, 2023

Organisations including the UK Screen Alliance, British Film Commission, BFI and Bectu have reacted to Jeremy Hunt's plan to provide more additional tax relief for expenditure on visual effects

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

As part of his Autumn Statement yesterday, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a number of proposals that will have an impact on the UK's TV and film industry.

Writing in the foreword to the consultation document, Hunt said: I can confirm that we will provide more additional tax relief for expenditure on visual effects, to boost the international competitiveness of the UK's offer .

The Treasury has issued a call for evidence to take what it describes as the first, crucial step towards this , and provide the government with the depth of understanding it needs to develop targeted proposals that will best serve the needs of the VFX industry.

The Statement also announced £500 million of investment across the next two years in compute power to help make the UK an AI powerhouse.

Hunt's announcement generally received a positive reaction from industry organisations.

Neil Hatton, CEO of UK Screen Alliance, which has long campaigned for reform to the UK's screen sector tax credits, said, This consultation and the promise of a more competitive incentive, should aim to position the UK as the first choice destination for VFX production for international film and TV. We are focussed on capturing a larger market share as global demand for VFX recovers, following the US actors' strike, and we aim to play a full part in growing the UK's creative industries towards the government's 2030 targets.

Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission, described the chancellor's announcement as a clear recognition from government of the value of the UK's film and TV sector, at home and abroad .

The announcement of a call for evidence on how best to increase the generosity of the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit for visual effects is hugely welcome and will further boost our world-leading sector's offer internationally. Our reliable fiscal incentives, recently enhanced and reconfirmed, will ensure our competitiveness, cost effectiveness and transparency. And our support for the industry via the British Film Commission's work has been recognised and maintained. It's a package of measures that rightly demonstrates confidence and backs growth in our phenomenal UK film and TV sector in a period of intensifying global competition.

Ben Roberts, BFI chief executive, added: The government's screen tax reliefs have been vital in bringing productions to the UK which in 2022 translated into a £6.27 billion spend on film and High-End television production alone. In the face of increasing international incentives, the enhanced credits with further funding to support the infrastructure through BFI Certification Unit and BFC, help to lay the foundations for continued growth and jobs. The consultation on additional tax relief for visual effects expenditure (VFX) to be delivered through the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit underlines the increasing importance of digital skills and job opportunities within the workforce.

However, not everyone was pleased with the chancellor's announcement. Head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, described it as a missed opportunity to support the UK's creative sector and its workforce.

There is little in this statement that offers the protection and reassurance our members need, following another very difficult year of soaring costs, a continuing skills shortage and long periods of unpredictable employment, she added.

Some of our self-employed members may benefit from the abolition of Class 2 National Insurance contributions and the reduction of Class 4 contributions by 1 per cent, but these headline-grabbing promises offer little when considered alongside the bigger picture of an ongoing lack of investment in the sector, and freelance workers who are continually left out in the cold, she added.

Whilst the chancellor claims that this is an Autumn statement for growth', there is next to nothing in this budget that materially supports our world-class creative industries and a largely freelance workforce that is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and insecure employment.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/uk-tv-and-film-industry-reacts-to-a...
See more stories from tvb

More from TVB Europe

17/10/2024

Opinion: The transformative impact of remote production and cloud migration on the media industry

John Wastcoat, SVP business development and marketing at Zixi, highlights how me...

17/10/2024

How cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos captured the colour of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Zambarloukos details the cameras and lenses he used to capture Tim Burtons spook...

17/10/2024

EMG/Gravity Media names Eamonn Curtin as chief commercial officer

He takes up the role immediately, having spent the past 10 years as global client director at EMG/Gravity Media By Jenny Priestley Published: October 17, 202...

17/10/2024

Council pulls plug on Mo-Sys Plumstead Power Station deal

Mo-Sys planned to refurbish the Grade II listed site, opening eight studio stages By Matthew Corrigan Published: October 17, 2024 Mo-Sys planned to refurb...

16/10/2024

ARRI launches 14-strong Ens Prime lens range

Ens lenses feature a magnification ratio of 1:4 on most focal lengths, equivalent to 10 close focus on the 32mm, which, said the company, is only 3.7 from the ...

15/10/2024

Making the dragons fly

Martin Pelletier, visual effects supervisor at Rodeo FX, explains how House of the Dragon's fantastic flying beasts are able to take to the air By Matthew ...

15/10/2024

Adobe adds Gen AI video extension capabilities to Premiere Pro

The company has also unveiled updates to Frame.io and plans to help 30 million people develop AI literacy and content creation skills by 2030 By Jenny Priestle...

15/10/2024

Watch: What caught our AI at IBC

Watch a panel featuring TVBEuropes content director Jenny Priestley discuss some of the biggest talking points from IBC2024 By TVBEurope Staff Published: Oct...

15/10/2024

Ofcom extends Channel 4's licence for a further decade

The new licence is designed to support Channel 4's digital content and distribution strategy, while safeguarding its investment in UK content, said Ofcom B...

14/10/2024

UK creative industries named as growth driver' in government's Industrial Strategy

A green paper published today outlines the governments aim to attract investment...

11/10/2024

Watch: Oscar-winner Edward Berger discusses new film shot in Apple Immersive Video

Apple Immersive Video leverages ultra-high-resolution 3D video and Spatial Audio...

10/10/2024

Real SFX opens at Bottle Yard, wins green business award

The special effects company joins more than 15 businesses based at the Bristol creative hub By Matthew Corrigan Published: October 10, 2024 The special ef...

10/10/2024

How BBC Studioworks built a flyaway kit for It Takes Two

TVBEurope talks to the team at BBC Studioworks about the technology included in a new flyaway kit for BBC Twos Strictly Come Dancing spin-off, It Takes Two By ...

10/10/2024

SMPTE appoints Sally-Ann D'Amato as interim executive director

DAmato joined SMPTE in 2001, rising to become director of events and governance liaison in 2016 By Jenny Priestley Published: October 10, 2024 Updated: Oct...

10/10/2024

Pixel Power expands software-defined media product portfolio

The company, which is now being led by Thorsten Sauer, has taken over management of networked multiviewer and monitoring platform R&S Prismon By Jenny Priestle...

09/10/2024

Pinewood Studios to open new Indie Film Hub in 2025

The hub will provide filmmakers with access to the Pinewood Studios ecosystem from camera hire to drone photography and post production By Jenny Priestley Pu...

09/10/2024

SMPTE awards Marina Kalkanis Presidential Proclamation

The award was established in 1982 and recognises individuals of established and outstanding status and reputation in the motion picture and television industrie...

09/10/2024

TVBEurope October/November 2024 issue out now

The latest issue includes features on the US presidential election, IBC2024 Best of Show Awards winners and tackling the industry skills gap By Matthew Corriga...

09/10/2024

Government inquiry for Marlow Film Studios

The company remains confident in the strength of its case, which, it said, includes significant investment benefits to the local and national economy By Matth...

08/10/2024

Avid acquires Wolftech to transform newsroom workflows

The strategic acquisition aims to enable users to leverage emerging technologies to build and evolve modular workflows, from lens to edit and beyond, said Avid ...

08/10/2024

Arjan van Westerloo appointed president of new NEP European cluster

The role follows a reorganisation of NEP Groups European business structure By Matthew Corrigan Published: October 8, 2024 Updated: October 9, 2024 The...

07/10/2024

Meta unveils tool that creates 16 seconds of AI-generated video

Movie Gen has four capabilities: video generation, personalised video generation, precise video editing, and audio generation By Jenny Priestley Published: O...

07/10/2024

Rotolight enters administration amid hopes brand can continue

The family-run business has supplied lighting for numerous feature films and TV series By Matthew Corrigan Published: October 7, 2024 Updated: October 8, 2...

04/10/2024

BBC Coronation coverage nominated for Tech Emmy

The nominees for the new Excellence in Production Technology are Christmas at Graceland, The Coronation of H.M. King Charles III and The Santa Clauses By Jenny...

04/10/2024

Meet the motion capture technology co-programme leader

Connell Pavey, co-programme leader for the University of Salford's new course in motion capture technology tells TVBEurope how his passion for creativity le...

03/10/2024

Lawo unveils latest addition to HOME app family

Its feature set is closer to what a vision mixer provides than to what operators traditionally expect from a downstream keying function, said the company By Ma...

02/10/2024

Hollywood of the north' finally gets greenlight

The Littlewoods Building transformation will include two film studios as well as office and workshop spaces By Jenny Priestley Published: October 2, 2024 U...

02/10/2024

EVS completes MOG Technologies acquisition

The acquisition will deliver strategic benefits, such as expanded product and solution offerings, an increase in EVS R&D centres, and broader support services ...

02/10/2024

Survey finds worsening mental health in film and TV industry

Releasing the data, the Film and TV Charity also announced plans to develop pan-industry mental health standards ahead of a revamp of its Whole Picture Toolkit ...

01/10/2024

The Final Cut

As Deadpool & Wolverine debuts on digital streaming, TVBEurope revisits our conversation with the film's editor Shane Reid, to hear how he combined the film...

01/10/2024

Moments Lab adds AI-powered content discovery to Adobe Premiere Pro

The plugin enables editors to quickly access, discover, and clip the best moments identified by AI in their recent or archived footage By Jenny Priestley Pub...

30/09/2024

Meet the senior manager of space operations training

Anne Lellinger, senior manager of space operations training at SES, tells TVBEurope how shes spent 20 years delivering TV content to homes across Europe By Con...

30/09/2024

Submissions open for Best in Market 2024 Awards

All entrants - whether they are selected as a winner or not - will receive a nominee badge to promote their entry and will be included in a nominee feature arti...

27/09/2024

Plan for West Midlands studio complex revealed

The facility will include four sound stages, workshops, production offices, make-up and dressing rooms, and support services By Matthew Corrigan Published: S...

27/09/2024

Disguise announces Be Seen. Be Heard event to promote industry diversity

Aiming to be a catalyst for change, the event features a diverse line-up of industry voices By Matthew Corrigan Published: September 27, 2024 Updated: Sept...

26/09/2024

Medina Studios project wins IOW council approval

The proposal include four sound stages, two workshops and production support facilities at Kingston Marine Park in East Cowes By Matthew Corrigan Published: ...

25/09/2024

BIMM unites campuses under MetFilm School banner and launches new MetStudios brand

The plans aim to boost education in creative digital media, responding to growin...

25/09/2024

James Cameron joins board of AI visual media company

According to the company, Camerons appointment to its board is a significant step forward in Stability AI's mission to transform visual media By Jenny Prie...

24/09/2024

The security super service provider

Trusted Partner Network president Terri Davies talks to TVBEurope about the importance of collaboration and certification in ensuring security in the media indu...

24/09/2024

Stirling Studios project takes next step with funding approval

Stirling Studios aims to deliver one of the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland, bringing an estimated 4,000 jobs over 25 years in key film and production ...

23/09/2024

Salford University to provide UK's first mo-cap diploma course

Applications are open for the two-year diploma, which will commence in September 2025 By Matthew Corrigan Published: September 23, 2024 Applications are ...

23/09/2024

Into the IBC maelstrom

TVBEurope's Matthew Corrigan reflects on his first visit to IBC By Matthew Corrigan Published: September 23, 2024 Updated: September 24, 2024 TVBEur...

20/09/2024

CVP announces second Education Festival

The free event for students and educational leaders will feature over 70 workshops, seminars and demonstrations By Matthew Corrigan Published: September 20, ...

20/09/2024

Meet the lead engineer

Jayne Hilton, Lead Engineer at Globecast, explains the importance of communication and openness to TVBEurope By Matthew Corrigan Published: September 20, 202...

19/09/2024

Bottle Yard Studios sale can proceed

The sale will ensure the studios continues to achieve its potential into the future, said the council By Matthew Corrigan Published: September 19, 2024 Upd...

17/09/2024

How Rodeo FX blended science fiction and reality for Saudi Odyssey

The advert was worked on by Rodeo FXs teams in Montreal and Paris By Jenny Priestley Published: September 17, 2024 The advert was worked on by Rodeo FX...

17/09/2024

IBC2024 reports more attendees and exhibitors than 2023

Organisers have also confirmed the dates for IBC2025 By TVBEurope Staff Published: September 17, 2024 Organisers have also confirmed the dates for IBC2025...

17/09/2024

Word cloud: Sum up IBC2024 in one word

By TVBEurope Staff Published: September 17, 2024 Updated: September 18, 2024 During the TVBEurope team's meetings with vendors at IBC2024, we asked e...

16/09/2024

Rise Awards 2024 nominations announced

The awards recognise women and companies who are stand-out performers, innovators and leaders in the industry By TVBEurope Staff Published: September 16, 202...

16/09/2024

TVBEurope Best of Show IBC2024 winners announced

By Jenny Priestley Published: September 15, 2024 Updated: September 18, 2024 Future's Best of Show at IBC2024 awards have been announced, with exhibi...