The Catalan audiovisual sector had a turnover of 7,077 million euros and was made up of 3,693 companies, which employed 32,578 workers, according to the 2022 Audiovisual Report for Catalonia, prepared by the Catalan Audiovisual Council (CAC) and which was presented yesterday at the Mercat Audiovisual de Catalunya (MAC), held in Granollers.
The vice-president of the CAC, Rosa Maria Molló, highlighted during her presentation the economic importance of the Catalan audiovisual sector which, according to what she compared to highlight its driving role, is comparable to the pharmaceutical sector, for example, with respect to the number of workers. “A very significant point is that entertainment represents more than half of all billing in the audiovisual sector. An industry in which almost 42% of the companies are less than ten years old”, she added.
Molló also highlighted the importance of the video game industry: “With more than 200 companies, Catalonia already concentrates more than 50% of the total turnover of the sector throughout the State. Both these figures and the prospects it offers show a growth horizon that we have to keep in mind”.
With regard to consumption, the report indicates that radio is recovering minimally, after the drop in the pandemic while listening to podcasts is growing. On the other hand, in Catalonia, during 2022, 162 minutes of television were watched each day, half an hour less than in 2021. This decrease coincides with the upward curve of screens connected to streaming platforms such as Netflix. “This surprise, already effective, is earlier and more pronounced among the young population, and more attenuated in the older groups”, he affirmed.
Finally, Molló referred to the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and recalled that during 2022 the European Commission presented a proposal for an AI Law, which, by the end of 2023 or the beginning of next year, will be directly applicable to all Member States of the European Union (EU). “Europe is not a standard-bearer in AI but it has had the wisdom to initiate a political line that allows it to be a benchmark and correct deficits.”
After the presentation of the report, a round table took place with the title The local audiovisual public service: consolidate the model, legitimize the management and face the future, moderated by the minister of the CAC Miquel Miralles, who highlighted the importance of the audiovisual media proximity as the first step of participation in society. And, in the specific case of local public media, he stressed the need for them to have a program contract, in which their objectives, structure and sources of financing are defined.
“Within 72 hours the new city councils will be constituted and, therefore, a new stage of four years begins to deepen and improve the whole of local communication. It will be time to overcome some management practices that do not conform to what is required by law, such as the indirect management of local municipally-owned media that have been the subject of judicial decisions, ”he argued.
