Benefits
Creative rich content and digital innovations are the engines for growth in the creative cultural sector, providing options and delivering on benefits.
Driving and creating jobs in the creative sector
In Europe, both employment and revenues have risen in the creative industries since the digital revolution. Online is driving this growth.
The UK creative industries in the IT sector delivered 94,000 jobs to the UK economy during 2011-2013, being the second highest growing source of employment
The EU App economy employed 1 million people in 2013 and is projected to employ almost 5 million people by 2018
Driving revenue growth for the EU creative sectors
Revenue growth in the EU creative sectors is led by digital media and online services.
€34 billion revenue increase for the EU’s creative sector, from 2003-2013
Revenues in the European app sector reached 35% of global app revenues and expected to reach €63 billion in 2018
The online video total spending in 2011 and 2012 increased by 97.1%, while spending by European consumers on digital video subscriptions increased by 327% in 2012 alone
In recorded music, Europe saw digital growth of 13.3% as digital revenue in the three largest markets – UK, Germany and France, reached close to $1.2 billion
The European spending on video games increased from about €6.5 billion to over €10 billion between 2005 and 2010.
News publishers are generating revenue through advertising and payments. Mail Online and the Guardian were the 1st and 2nd most viewed online newspapers in 2012
In 2014, digital accounted for 70% of the Financial Times’ total paying audience, with online subscriptions growing by 21%
Pro-forma revenues from digital activities at Axel Springer rose from €1,568.6 million to €1,705.8 million in 2014
Low barriers to entry
Practically anyone can use digital services to reach a global audience. Distributing content on iTunes, Play, Facebook, YouTube or on a mobile app store is incredibly easy and often involves little or no upfront cost.
3 million European YouTube ‘partners’ use the video-sharing service to generate revenue online
Lower distribution and production costs
Digital technologies provide creators with greater opportunities to produce their content and reach their audience more effectively, efficiently and economically.
The creation of content accounts for 24% only of the cost of a print newspaper in Germany, while 52% of costs account for productions, sales and distribution
66% of revenues from a digital download now go to the artist and label, compared to around 32% for CD sales
Online discovery and promotion
Online services harbour new opportunities to engage with audiences anywhere, at any time. Consumers and fans looking for creative content can find and access this content, at the click of a button or touchscreen, at work, at home or during their commute, on a desktop or on a mobile device.
The website of French TV channel TF1 saw a 600% increase in traffic since introducing social plugins
On YouTube, the recording industry now earns more from fan videos on YouTube, such as mash-ups and parodies, than from official music videos
Online leading the fight against piracy
New online services are supporting the fight against piracy. The rise in legal options to access creative content has led to a significant drop in piracy.
Sweden saw a 25% decrease in music piracy between 2009 and 2011 due to an increasing availability of remunerated online distribution services
In the Netherlands the piracy decreased from 5.0 million IP addresses in 2008 to 1.8 in 2012
Globally, 40% of those who stopped downloading music illegally in 2012 did so as a result of the presence of legal streaming services
Online data powering creativity
Data analytics are transforming the creative and distribution processes. Easy and free access to tools measuring fan engagement on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, allows creators to understand and connect with their audiences.
Kevin Spacey’s hugely successful House of Cards launched because Netflix’s data analytics gave them confidence to back a project without a classic ‘pilot’ stage
Artists and the touring industry organise concerts by seeking fan input (e.g. Demi Lovato and Shazam) and by allowing people to attend digitally (e.g.LiveNation)
Data-driven journalism is boosting journalists’ ability to analyse and investigate, as illustrated by the Guardian or Buzz-feed and the BBC in uncovering match fixing in tennis
