Lights, camera, action: Greater Manchester expands reputation as world-class media production hub

Greater Manchester has grown a reputation as a world-class centre for media production with the city-region now boasting almost 1 million sq ft of formal production space.

Research from Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP) has shown over 15 full-size football pitches of space for media production now exist in the city, supporting 88,000 digital and creative jobs. Dubbed the Hollywood of the North, the media industry is part of a £5 billion digital, creative and technology sector.

The BBC has announced an expansion of its MediaCityUK operations, boosting staff beyond the current 3,500 headcount and bringing new services to the North from London once more since first broadcasting from Salford 10 years ago. MediaCityUK is also home to 1,000 ITV staff, including the 7.7 acre Coronation Street production centre, the biggest television production site in the world. Production hubs elsewhere in the city-region also include Space Studios in West Gorton, the Sharp Project in Newton Heath and in Stockport, the Vectar Project has committed to carbon neutral film production with studios totalling almost 4,000 sq ft.

Locations across Greater Manchester have also provided backdrops for filming, with high profile productions such as Netflix’s The Stranger and the BBC’s Peaky Blinders filming in Stockport town centre, as well as in Manchester city centre.

In addition, Greater Manchester’s tech community is investing in bespoke media production facilities. Among them is The Hut Group’s (THG) ICON development at Manchester Airport, which will include content creation facilities totalling 168,000 sq ft. ICON will house around 2,000 people who will be focused on video production and photography, to be used across THG’s digital offering.

Lou Cordwell, Chair of Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP), said:

This is an incredibly exciting time for media and digital content production in Greater Manchester, with the BBC expanding its base at MediaCityUK and new facilities providing opportunities for jobs and skills across the city-region.

“We now know that Greater Manchester has around a million sq ft of formal media production space as well as stunning locations across the city-region which are regularly utilised for film and TV.

“Across film and TV, Greater Manchester provides a production base for hundreds of hours of output annually – entertaining and informing millions of people across the world.

“The digital, creative and media sector is a cornerstone in the Greater Manchester Local industrial Strategy, and of our Economic Vision, and has always had a vibrant role in our cultural offer. The success of our growing media and content production base and can support us in further growth across our £5bn digital ecosystem, creating new jobs and opportunities.”

Cllr Elise Wilson, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) portfolio lead for Economy, said: 

From Granada Television and Coronation Street in the 1960s, through to MediaCityUK, Space Studios and a wave of exciting new projects in the present day, Greater Manchester’s media production industry has become one of our biggest assets.

“We have so much to offer to those who make TV, film and content – outstanding facilities, dramatic locations and access to a huge pool of talent. The sector contributes enormously to our regional economy, employing thousands of people in skilled roles, while also helping the city-region maintain its status as a global cultural hub.

“With almost one million sq ft of production space now available, we’re excited to see more Greater Manchester productions hit screens around the world.”