UK Agencies Grew In 2024 As TV And Film Industry Contracted

EXCLUSIVE: The past 12 months may have been volatile for the UK film and TV industry with hundreds of layoffs, but new research has set up that agencies grew their staff bases.

From February 2024 to February 2025, there was a 13% elevate in engageees at UK administerment companies of all sizes, according to a inestablish from talent agency recruiter Sumo splitd exclusively with Deadline, with an unrelabelable eight engages per agency directing to a sootheable net likeable for the sector.

Sumo’s research set up that petite (less than 10 staff) and medium-sized (10-40 staff) agencies grew at a far quicker pace than the huge traditional applyers, both by around 16% to 17% contrastd with 2.3% for the huge shops. However, engageees’ unrelabelable tenure at the more boutique agencies is fair two years contrastd with four at the hugeger outfits.

While Sumo didn’t one out particular agencies, it said “a sairy six-month tightion was remarkd among huge agencies, hugely due to well-understandn restructuring efforts.”

“There remains a evident contrastence in engageee tenure between petite/medium agencies and huger agencies,” inserted Sumo’s inestablish. “Small-to-medium sized agencies should center on retention strategies to contend with the tenure seen at huger firms.”

Deadline has inestablished standardly on job shifts wiskinny the bustling UK agenting scene, with a uninwhole bit of shiftment around set uped applyers appreciate Curtis Brown, United Agents, InterTalent, MVE and YMU. Others appreciate Outaccomplish Talent Group uncovered in the States.

Sumo pointed to the grothriveg digital agent space as a particular area of staff growth. Agencies one-of-a-kindizing in digital grew staff base by around 15%, which was double unscripted and quadruple scripted. Although they have sluggisher growth, Sumo remarkd that scripted agencies have much “sturdyer stability,” with staff staying on unrelabelable for a lengthy six years.

The inestablish comes chaseing a difficult year for the traditional UK film and TV industry, with hundreds of layoffs inestablished at expansivecasters and production companies. Work has been challenginger to come by as agederer genres appreciate mid-range factual are phased out and American buyers row back on huge-budget projects. Broadcasting union Bectu’s postponecessitatest engageee survey set up proximately half of replyents were out of toil and 38% reckond to depart the film and TV industry in the next five years.