03/08/2012 - UK received €14.2 million worth of MEDIA funding in 2011

MEDIA Desk UK’s annual report states just how crucial funding from the EU’s MEDIA Programme has been in supporting the growth of the country’s audiovisual industries. Since 2007 UK companies have received €40 million of direct funding from the programme. In 2011, the country’s industry received €14.2 million worth of MEDIA funding, including €1.5 million for the Europe-wide distribution of The Iron Lady.

400 UK audiovisual companies that have benefitted from MEDIA funding over the last decade were asked in a recent survey to detail the impact the funding had. The survey results show that MEDIA funding has had a crucial impact on maximising the international market potential of UK projects, growing businesses, and sustaining jobs in the industry.

Agnieszka Moody, Director of MEDIA Desk UK, said, “As the main point of interest for politicians and decision makers is economic growth, we wanted to be in a position to provide evidence that the MEDIA Programme contributes to the sustainability of the UK’s audiovisual companies, creating jobs and opening international trade opportunities. In the survey results, overwhelmingly, MEDIA appears as a vital, indispensable supporter of the audiovisual industry in all nations of the UK, making it more competitive and helping its product increase its potential beyond the domestic market. We’ve always known it at MEDIA Desk UK, but now we have the evidence!”