This data collection consists of two distinct but complementary databases: Database 1, pertaining to business performance of case-study companies during 2007-2017 and Database 2, pertaining to all TV content output of case-study companies during 2007-2017. The research examined a number of key lines of investigation: (1) The relationship between, on one hand, size and corporate configuration and, on the other, the ability of production companies to maximise the value of their IPRs and to achieve sustained economic success; (2) the conditions that govern creative decision-making and content in the television production industry and how these are affected by differing corporate configurations; (3) the role of changing digital distribution technologies in encouraging consolidation and strategies of horizontal, vertical and transnational expansion in the television production industry; (4) implications for public policy and regulation. These lines of enquiry were rooted in the context of a sector where ownership of production companies has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of a diminishing number of consolidated transnational operators. The project examined the performance of 12-case study television production companies of varying ownership configurations over the period 2007-2017, a period of seismic changes in the UK production sector driven by technological innovations, policy interventions and the entry of powerful new commissioning entities to the market.This project is about crucial transformations in the structure of ownership of the UK television production industry characterized by increasing consolidation and the growing controlling presence of non-domestic parent groups and related socio-economic, strategic management and policy implications. It breaks new ground by, focusing specifically on TV production, investigating the relationship between, on the one hand, expansion, scale and differing sorts of corporate configurations (whether owned by a multinational parent company; vertically integrated or not) and, on the other, economic performance and capacity to engage in business strategies that sustain growth in a TV landscape increasingly characterised by globalisation and digital multi-platform distribution. Television production is an important sector of industry both for economic and cultural reasons. Two variables that strongly affect the success of production businesses are, first, the effective management and exploitation of IPRs and, second, scale of activities. Over the last decade, adjustments in UK public policy that enhanced the position of production companies vis-à-vis broadcasters on ownership of IPRs have substantially improved the position of producers and boosted their sales revenues. But, as organic growth has contributed to scale and greater commercial success, this has triggered a recent wave of takeovers of many of the UK's leading independent producers, often by US media conglomerates. A central concern here is to build understanding of the challenges faced in nurturing the development of UK production companies that achieve scale but, at the same time, remain independent. A further concern is to investigate empirically how a re-structuring of ownership may affect content. Against a background of increased investment interest from multi-nationals in indigenous UK-based players, this project will extend knowledge and theory by interrogating the association between corporate configuration, creative decision-making and cultural content. Using key case studies, the scope of the investigation will cover: - the role of changing digital distribution technologies in encouraging consolidation and strategies of horizontal, vertical and transnational expansion in the TV production industry; - the relationship between, on one hand, size and corporate configuration and, on the other, the ability of production companies to maximise the value of their IPRs and to achieve sustained economic success; - the conditions that govern creative decision-making and content in the TV production industry and how these are affected by differing corporate configurations; - implications for public policy and regulation. At a time of concern about how incumbent TV production companies can adjust successfully to advancing technology and how public policies ought to change to ensure that UK independent production continues to flourish in the global arena, this project and its outputs are intended to deepen and enhance public understanding of creative and business strategies in the context of a rapidly evolving media ecology. Analysis of configuration, strategy, performance, content decision-making and output will provide an empirically-based foundation for the final stage of the research which addresses the challenges posed for regulation and policy by the current re-structuring in ownership of the TV industry. To what extent are market and technological changes threatening the sustainability of a domestically-based independent production sector? How does public policy need to change? Thus, not only will the project contribute to social scientific knowledge and deliver a significant critical and cross-disciplinary contribution to theory in the areas of industrial organization, strategic media management and cultural analysis but also it will provide a valuable resource for television industry professionals, strategists and policy-makers.

This longitudinal survey of two key aspects of performance facilitated a comprehensive analysis of significant changes, if any, to the business performance as well as performance and character of content produced by case-study companies during the period. The sampling devised a typology of companies of varying ownership configurations that make up the UK sector: standalone independents; part-vertically integrated (25% broadcaster-owned); conglomerate owned (horizontally integrated/’super indie’). Case-study companies were selected and classified according to these categories and each company was subject to two distinct but complementary surveys. Firstly, a survey of business performance between 2007 and 2017. This was followed by a survey of content output during the period 2007-2017. This resulted in the collation of two databases • Database 1: Business Performance Database • Database 2: Content Analysis Database Database 1: Business Performance Database The Business Performance Database quantifies business performance using the following key performance indicators: • Turnover: this measure is routinely used in industry and academic discourse as a means of gauging the scale of a commercial operation. Tracked over the period it is possible to observe year-on-year and overall changes in company turnover. • Operating Profit: reflects the profit derived when operating costs (typically production and administration) are subtracted from turnover. • Profit Margin: used in analysis of business efficiency, profit margin is calculated by measuring operating profit as a percentage of turnover. • UK/International Turnover: This metric identifies the split between domestic and international income. This reflects the increasing focus on international markets manifest in industrial, academic and popular media discourses. Compiling this dataset facilitated the analysis of business performance over time and allowed the effects of takeover to be examined. Database 2: Content Analysis Database A quantitative survey of all publicly known outputs of each company between 2007-2017 was conducted in order to generate a descriptive statistical analysis of each company’s output, as well as analyses of significant relationships between ownership and local/global parameters and market/critical parameters of performance. The combined output of the 12 companies numbered in excess of 900 unique programmes or content propositions with 16 data points for each. Columns A-H of the database capture descriptive information relating to: TX (transmission) date, genre, TX entity [PSB, SVoD etc.] and hours/episodes/series produced. This allowed a comprehensive overview of the volume and type of content produced as well as the commissioning entities behind these productions. In addition to these useful descriptive markers, a primary aim of compiling the database was to allow an interrogation of the Local/Global characteristics (setting, location, story, talent) and of Market/Critical reception (awards, reviews, ratings, territorial reach) for individual content propositions and bundles of content produced by case-study companies. Columns I-P of the database contain this information. To effectively code for less readily quantifiable characteristics of content output it was necessary to develop meaningful proxies of quality, indigeneity and critical reception.