Motion Picture,TV & Video Production NAICS 512110
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Industry Summary
The 17,100 motion picture, TV, and video producers in the US produce a variety of video content, including movies, videos, TV programming, and commercials. Major revenue categories include domestic licensing rights; sales of copies of audio/visual works, international licensing rights; contract production services; and merchandise licensing. Movie and video production companies may specialize in a particular category, such as animation, commercials, films, music videos, or TV programming.
Delayed, Uneven Cash Flow
Productions incur the majority of expenses months to even years before realizing a single dollar of revenue.
Piracy
Video piracy is a growing problem, particularly internationally, where copyright protection is lax and illegal activity is more likely to go unnoticed.
Recent Developments
Sep 12, 2025 - Roku Contributes To Decreasing Broadcast TV Viewership
- US viewers spent more time streaming on Roku-powered devices than they did watching traditional broadcast television for the third month in a row in July, according to audience data and analytics firm Nielsen. Roku-powered devices accounted for 21.4% of all TV viewing in July. Broadcast came in at 18.4%. Roku says its share of TV viewing is up 14% year-over-year. The Roku Channel, the company’s free and ad-supported streaming service, represents 2.8% of all TV viewing on its own.
- New Jersey is an increasingly important site for new film and TV production, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The state’s tax-credit program is among the most generous in the country and minimizing red tape has been a major sales pitch, the Reporter notes. “New Jersey offers the best of both worlds: proximity to New York without the complexity, and a state government that’s deeply invested in growing the industry the right way,” Gannon Murphy, co-founder and president of the state’s film-industry advocacy group Screen Alliance New Jersey, told the Reporter.
- Filming in Los Angeles is decreasing amid a global production crunch and escalating competition from other regions, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Every category of production decreased year over year during the first quarter of 2025, according to a report from FilmLA, the nonprofit group that handles film permits for the city and county. Filming in Los Angeles decreased over 22% to 5,295 shoot days during the first quarter of 2025.
- Motion picture, TV, and video production industry employment has recovered from a steep pandemic-related drop in 2020 and but remailed below pre-pandemic levels in mid-2025 while average wages for nonsupervisory employees have decreased from pandemic-driven highs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Motion picture, TV and video production industry sales are forecast to grow at a 2.75% compounded annual rate from 2025 to 2029, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.
Industry Revenue
Motion Picture,TV & Video Production
Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
The average motion picture and video production company operates out of a single location, employs 13 workers, and generates $5.2 million annually.
- The motion picture and video production industry consists of about 17,100 firms that employ about 229,300 workers and generate about $89.3 billion annually.
- The industry is highly concentrated; the top 50 firms account for 76% of industry sales.
- Large firms with production operations include the Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Comcast (Universal Pictures). The major studios produce and distribute the majority of movies released in the US.
- Large firms may be vertically-integrated. For example, some companies are involved in production, distribution, and broadcasting of content.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
Motion Picture,TV & Video Production Industry Growth
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