Media Momentum Hots Up

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson was guest of honour earlier this month at a special celebration to confirm the BBC's relocation of five departments to the MediaCity:UK development at Salford Quays.

In all, around 1500 jobs will move from London to the 200-acre site just three miles from central Manchester, plus around 800 staff from the current BBC site in the city.

In a sign of the investment and growth already being fuelled by the BBC's move, the contract signing ceremony was held at The Pie Factory, a former food manufacturing facility and currently the only building on the MediaCity:UK site. The Pie Factory has been redeveloped by leading Manchester production house Sumners to provide high quality TV and film production facilities and sound stages.

The BBC's move to Salford is the latest demonstration of the dynamism for which the Northwest's creative industries and media sectors have long been recognised.

Midas, the inward investment agency for Manchester, estimates that 64,000 people are employed in over 7,500 firms in creative industries in Manchester alone. Over a third of those people are self-employed, 10,000-plus are employed in new media and digital content, nearly 6,500 in TV, film and radio and over 3,500 in the music industry. And, with the sector growing six times more quickly than the economy as a whole, the number is set to continue rising.

The Northwest's roots in the media industry go back a long way. The Guardian newspaper, formerly called the Manchester Guardian, was founded in Manchester in 1821. Until the mid-1970s, virtually all the major national newspapers had editorial offices in Manchester, which was called the 'Fleet Street of the North'.

Since the nationals scaled back their editorial operations in the region, a wealth of talent has picked up the torch for the Northwest's well-earned reputation for outstanding creativity and artistic innovation.

Historically, its success was based around music, particularly in Manchester and Liverpool, but today it is increasingly focused on film, digital media and television-related activities. In fact, the Northwest is the second largest broadcasting market in the UK. It is home to a huge range of independent media operators, production facilities and creative talent.

Local production companies such as Red and All Out have received international acclaim. Recently, they have been joined by several major independents, including Hat Trick and Baby Cow, which have both opened offices in Manchester, which is already the second most influential British media hub, with prominent businesses such as the BBC, Granada, Guardian Media Group, All3Media and Trinity Mirror located in the city.

Independent production is also thriving in Merseyside, thanks to Lime Pictures (formerly Mersey Television), the makers of Hollyoaks and Grange Hill and the largest independent production company outside London.

Computer games are another major strength of the region. The Northwest, especially Liverpool, has played an essential role in the development of the UK games industry. This is reflected in the depth of interactive software talent across Liverpool. The city now accounts for around three-quarters of the games workforce in the region. According to a leading computer gaming magazine, Liverpool is 'one of the world's most important cities for computer games'.

Now, with the BBC's move to MediaCity:UK, a development which is forecast to create over 15,000 jobs and provide space for an estimated 1,150 media-related businesses, the Northwest can justifiably claim to be one of the world's most important regions for the media and creative industries.