British Film Commission reveals stable, steady growth as US inward investment in UK HETV projects rises by 5.3%
Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is filmed in the UK
US inward investment spend on high-end television (HETV) projects increased by 5.3% last year, delivering £2.5bn (US$3.38bn) to the UK economy, with the British Film Commission (BFC) hailing “steady as she goes” growth for the industry.
Tentpole scripted shows such as Industry (HBO), The Gentlemen S2 (Netflix), Rivals (Disney+) and Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms S2 (HBO) contributed to stable progress as global streamers continued to film flagship drama content in the UK.
Figures released by the BFC revealed the film and TV screen sectors contributed a total of £5.8bn in inward investment to the domestic economy, up from the £5bn recorded in 2024.
Most of that investment is from international feature film production spend of £3.3bn, a near 30% increase from 2024, with blockbuster movies such as Marvel’s The Avengers: Doomsday and Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe shooting on UK soil.
HETV’s £2.5bn contribution, meanwhile, is a slight improvement on the £2.8bn recorded in 2024. However, for context, that gradual growth is still good news for the industry. Film and HETV production spend in the UK halved in 2023 as a result of the dual US writer and actor strikes, falling from £6.27bn in 2022 to £3.11bn.
The BFC’s figures for 2024 were much more encouraging, with inward investment in production spend in the UK growing to £4.7bn, representing a 43% uptick on the previous year’s statistics. HETV contributed £2.8bn of that, a 25% increase on 2023’s figure of £2.07bn, highlighting a return to commissioning among US streamers after a period of heavy spending.
The BFC noted that the 2025 findings indicate continued gentle growth, as the screen sectors slowly recover from the combined effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, strikes and other challenging market factors.
Adrian Wootton, CEO of the BFC, said: “Today’s figures reflect another year of strong inward investment that speaks to the early success of the enhanced tax credits for film and VFX, as well as the wide range of films and HETV projects that represent ongoing and returning, multi-season projects and major Hollywood blockbusters.
“Crucially, it shows ‘steady as she goes’ growth across the UK, underlining how our industry is cementing and embedding a longer-term, sustainable production ecosystem while confirming that studios, directors and producers continue to recognise the UK as a beacon of reliability for fiscal incentives, infrastructure and talent in a shifting, uncertain and highly competitive environment.”
Ben Roberts, CEO of the BFI, added: “Today’s figures demonstrate the UK’s film and TV industries continue to drive a huge amount of investment into the UK economy and create jobs.
“We attract some of the most ambitious projects and leading international names to make work in the UK, while our creativity remains one of our greatest exports. Productions led by UK talent in front of or behind the camera, and those which showcase our renowned and technically skilled crews, consistently attract audiences at home and across the globe.”
