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Media and Entertainment: Film Sector

Media & Entertainment Film Sector

FILMED ENTERTAINMENT
AND STREAMING SECTOR

Introduction

The International Trade Administration’s Global Media & Entertainment Team: Filmed Entertainment & Streaming Sector, promotes international licensing and exports of U.S. film, TV, VoD and digital media, to include digital technology and software platforms that enable monetization and distribution of filmed entertainment, via our network of Trade Specialists at 100 U.S. Export Assistance Centers and over 80 U.S. Consulates and Embassies.

Industry Overview 

  • The U.S. Film & TV industry is valued at $85B in 2020, of which:
    • TV and Home Video is valued at $81.5B, including SVOD which increased from $13.5B (2019) to $17.6B in 2020. 
    • Due to effects of the global pandemic, cinema box office receipts declined dramatically by 65% to $3.5B (from $10.3B in 2019). 
    • As more people stayed home and subscribed to OTT services, OTT households jumped 24.3% and U.S. sales surged 19.9% in 2020 to reach $22.5B.
    • TV advertising declined 11.5% to $62.2B during the pandemic but is expected to grow a solid 6.8% in 2021.
  • Online filmed entertainment is increasingly distributed with AI and Machine Learning tools, produced incorporating AR/VR, and advanced video technologies, and accessible ubiquitously across interoperable devices.
  • Fixed Broadband Internet Infrastructure and other communications technology deployment are expanding the reach of filmed entertainment and OTT distribution globally. 
  • Demand for business videos, including for e-Commerce platforms and social media, is growing.

What can the Global Media & Entertainment Team offer to the Filmed & Streaming Sector

Trade Counseling: 
Our Specialists work with you to find distributors and partners and joint production projects; overcome market entry challenges; implement copyright protection; and adopt digital strategies to succeed in overseas markets. 
 
Business Matchmaking: 
We’ll identify and introduce you to potential international business partners via our International Partner Search and Single Company Promotion including:

  • Agents and representatives  
  • Distributors 
  • Government & trade organizations 

International Vetting:
If you’ve identified a potential international partner, we can vet that organization via our International Company Profile service and identify foreign tax or production incentives.

Team Activities: 

  • Showcase U.S. Companies through trade promotional opportunities, reverse trade missions, trade shows, and virtual events. 
  • Leverage Engagement with expert Business Service Providers, Trade Associations, Congressional bodies such as the Creative Rights Caucus, Internet Caucus, International Ministries of Trade and/or Culture, and Industry Export Bureaus to facilitate international trade and licensing. 
  • Produce webinars that highlight new policies and regulations, and share guided business insights into doing business overseas, including adapting film, TV, and video to local tastes and aesthetic preferences. 

Relevant reports/resources to this sector