A new survey by TellyCast and WorkShare Consulting indicates most industry executives want to see the return of events, with Mipcom and Miptv as the favorites. In addition, the new reality has sparked the need for a more balanced office-home work environments and more diversity representation on TV.
In the first of a regular series of surveys to test the health of the international TV industry, the TellyCast/ WorkShare Consulting Content Industry Monitor found that less than one in ten (9%) of executives wish to return to full time, permanent office working following the pandemic.
The results showed that the vast majority of TV industry office workers are looking forward to a balance of working environments in the future with nearly half of all respondents preferring either 3 days per week (26%) or 2 days a week (21%) back in their regular pre-pandemic office space.
The survey also found that there is a mountain to climb in terms of diversity in TV with a massive 83% of respondents seeing a lack of BAME (Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic) representation in the industry.
60% of TV executives have worked longer hours during the pandemic with an increase in stress during the pandemic with 55% reporting an increase in stress. Perhaps a contributing factor was video calling as 43% found they went on too long.
Other key findings in the TellyCast/ WorkShare Content Industry Monitor include the influential events side of the industry.
Virtual events were no match for the real thing with 64% finding them a worse experience than their in person counterparts, but 53% are resigned to seeing them as a big part of the industry going forward.
Industry behemoth events Mipcom (51%) and Miptv (47%) were the first and second choices as events the industry still plans on attending, followed by Edinburgh TV Festival (30%), Realscreen (26%), IBC (23%) and NEM and NATPE with 19% each.
However, safety is a major concern for prospective delegates as 60% think that live events should require COVID testing as an entry requirement and nearly half (47%) felt events should be for vaccinated attendees only.
Finally, on a buoyant note, nearly one in five (19%) of respondents are generating revenues exceeding those pre-pandemic and 34% expect this to take 12-18 months from now to see revenues return to pre COVID levels. Additionally, 77% are either extremely confident or confident about retaining employment in the next 6 months with little sign of the recession hitting jobs confidence in the TV industry this summer.
Commenting on the survey, Jonathan Broughton, MD of Workshare Consulting said: ”The Content Industry Monitor represents an amazing opportunity to understand the readiness of the industry to return and to tackle critical questions in the market. Whether that be a return to physical events or working in an office this partnership with TellyCast has been an amazingly revealing and rewarding experience.”
TellyCast’s Justin Crosby said: “I wanted to mark a year of TellyCast podcasts and by teaming up with WorkShare were doing exactly that with our Content Industry Monitor. It’s packed with revealing insights into a year in TV, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. I hope industry executives will find the survey as fascinating as we do”.
