According to new figures from the British Film Institute (BFI), investment in British film production reached a record £2.8 billion last year, driven largely by Hollywood studios and global streaming platforms.
But industry leaders warn that growth will slow in 2026 as Netflix shifts production back to the US amid political pressure and plans for a blockbuster acquisition.
The BFI said that 91 percent of the £2.78 billion spent on UK film production in 2025 came from “investment”, meaning funding from studios and streamers based outside the UK. The total represents a 23 per cent increase on the previous year and marks the highest level of film production spending since the BFI began collecting data in 2002.
The surge was fueled by a number of major international productions choosing Britain as a filming location, including “Avengers: Doomsday,” “Super Girl” and four separate biopics focusing on members of the Beatles. More than £2.5bn of total film spending came from US companies such as Netflix and Amazon, up 30 per cent on the previous year.
High-end television production also remained strong. Spending on British-made TV shows with budgets of more than £1 million per episode rose over 7 per cent to £4 billion, with US-backed platforms again dominating. Around 80 percent of this came from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, which supported global hits such as “Bridgerton”, “Slow Horses”, “Outlander” and “The Thursday Murder Club”.
British broadcasters showed a slight recovery after a difficult period. Investment by ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 rose slightly to £688m in 2024 after a five-year low, but remained well below historic highs.
Overall, combined spending on UK film and high-end TV production reached £6.8 billion in 2025, up 13 percent on the previous year. But despite the strong headlines, the outlook has become more uncertain.
Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos has confirmed the streaming giant is actively withdrawing projects to the US to support domestic job creation as it seeks regulatory approval for its planned $82.7bn (£59bn) takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. In a speech to a U.S. Senate antitrust subcommittee this week, Sarandos said new tax incentives in New Jersey had made filming in the U.S. more attractive than locations abroad, including Britain.
He revealed that since the incentives were approved, Netflix had moved 11 projects to the US, seven of which were originally planned for the UK. Sarandos said the company was “keen to create more jobs in the US” and keep production domestic, pointing to increased competition for British studios as governments struggle to offer more generous incentives.
While the UK remains one of the world’s most attractive locations for large-scale film and television production thanks to its talent base, infrastructure and tax breaks, industry figures are increasingly concerned that geopolitical pressures and subsidy competition could slow growth after a record year.
