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 Report on the audiovisual sector in Catalonia 2022, prepared by the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (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, as she compared to highlight its driving role, is comparable to the pharmaceutical sector, for example, in terms of number of workers “A very significant point is that entertainment represents more than half of all turnover in the audiovisual sector. An industry in which almost 42% of the companies are less than ten years old”, he 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 perspectives it offers show a growth horizon that we must keep in mind”.
In terms of consumption, the report notes that radio is recovering minimally, after the decline of the pandemic while listening to podcasts is growing. On the other hand, in Catalonia, during 2022, 162 minutes of television were watched every day, half an hour less than in 2021. This decline coincides with the upward curve of screens connected to streaming platforms such as Netflix. “This overtaking, already effective, is earlier and more marked among the young population, and more attenuated in the older age groups”, he stated.
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, at the end of 2023 or the beginning of next year, it will apply directly to all member states of the European Union (EU). “Europe is not a leader in AI, but it has been successful in starting a political line that allows it to be a point of reference and correct the deficits”.
After presenting the report, a round table took place with the title The local audiovisual public service: consolidating the model, legitimizing the management and facing the future, moderated by CAC councilor Miquel Miralles, who emphasized the importance of the media audiovisuals of 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 funding sources are defined.
“In 72 hours, the new councils will be established and, therefore, a new stage of four years is opening to deepen and improve the whole of local communication. It will be time to overcome some management practices that do not comply with what the law requires, such as the indirect management of municipally owned local media that have been the subject of court rulings”, he argued.
