What does the future for the broadcast media and entertainment industry look like?

Like much of the rest of the world, over recent months the broadcast media and entertainment industry has been forced to adapt. Organisations and individuals have been responding to the challenges of COVID-19 by creating new models, ideas and ways of doing things. While much of this was born from necessity, as we begin the new normal, many of these changes will bring benefits to the industry beyond the pandemic.

Content creation

Lockdown meant the broadcast media sector had to adjust to physical limits on filming and production. New guidelines, social distancing precautions and the need to keep staff safe were paramount.  Remote production has significantly grown as many broadcasters looked at new and innovative ways to create content during lockdown.

These changes have impacted our expectations from broadcasting and it will be interesting to see if we ever get used to seeing presenters sitting next to each other again for example.

Trade Shows

Large scale trade shows are an integral part of the broadcast media and entertainment industry calendar. As a result of COVID-19, many conferences and exhibitions have gone virtual in 2020, offering a very different online experience.

While shows can be a significant investment for organisations, they do offer an important focal point in the industry, so we’ll be watching closely to see if this trend continues.

Shows are typically a key time for product launches, and we often see a lot of new technology unveiled at the same time each year.

It may be that a reduced focus on shows means a democratising of launches, so perhaps we will see a steadier stream of new technology throughout the year, not tied into major events.

Likewise we have seen a rise in individual businesses creating their own virtual events during lockdown – there have been more webinars and a greater focus on creating tailored content.

Organisations may well look to continue this after lockdown, with a focus on building online communities and adding value for customers.

HR and recruitment in Broadcast Media

Many organisations have used lockdown as an opportunity to review processes and systems. Businesses are now more open to remote and flexible working, which has been proved as viable during lockdown for many. Although a number of roles in the broadcast media sector naturally require in-person working, we do expect there to be a pick up in home and remote working where this suits both employer and employee in the future.

Black Lives Matter has led to new and important calls for diversity and anti-racism in the broadcast media and entertainment sector. During lockdown, many businesses have pledged to do more to combat racism and we hope to see real action and implementation of this over the coming months.

One major trend is a rise in video interviews (please watch our video interviews tips) and remote recruitment. This will have major positive impacts long term, with reduced costs, time and resources needed for interviewing, meaning a better experience for candidates and recruiters alike.

The impact on staffing and careers in Broadcast

The pandemic has naturally impacted the broadcast media recruitment sector. Many organisations paused recruitment during lockdown, although it’s positive to see this is now picking up again.

Many freelancers in particular have suffered during the pandemic, with these workers often the first to lose work and many not being eligible for government support. One small silver lining has been the delay to IR35 (what is IR35?) which will prove helpful to some people.

Generally we have seen an upskilling of the workforce during the lockdown with many people using this time to undergo training, develop new skills and diversify either on their own or with the support of their employers. Many individuals have also used this time to carefully assess their career paths and what they want from future employment so we expect to see a strong market for talent after lockdown. Many candidates are now prioritising roles that offer career development, work life balance and creative and inspiring work.