A new report has found that more than 10,000 jobs have been created in the digital sector in Salford, following the BBC’s move to MediaCityUK a decade ago.
After the closure of Manchester’s New Broadcasting House, the BBC made the decision to move their northern base of operations to the newly developed MediaCityUK.
The BBC’s newest home in the north hosts many of their most-watched channels and programmes, with the likes of Breakfast, Match of the Day, CBBC and CBeebies all being filmed here, not to mention the countless BBC radio stations broadcasting from Dock House. So, it is clear to see why there has been a considerable increase in jobs since 2011.
As part of a wider report looking into the economic impact of the BBC on the UK economy, financial firm KPMG has found that since the corporations move to Salford in 2011, there has been a huge increase in MediaCity’s finances as well boosts in certain creative sectors.
The report found that the BBC accounted for 34% of the 142% growth in Salford’s digital creative sector, reflecting the ever-increasing number of employees within MediaCity as a whole. Along with this, the report also suggests that the BBC’s move here has since enticed other major corporations such as ITV, TalkTalk and even the University of Salford to set themselves up on the Quays.
Not only this, employment has benefited too. It was found that in 2010 (a year prior to the BBC’s move) that the total number of those employed in the digital creative sector was 6,310. By 2019 this had more than doubled with the employment count sitting at over 15,000.
Speaking about the BBC’s growing development across the UK at the Westminster Media Forum, Rhodri Talfan Davies, the BBC’s Director of Nations, stated that:
“That’s our goal. To build on our commitment to local communities with services that cut through like never before.”
The report concluded that there is considerable strength in the digital, creative and media sector in Greater Manchester and KPMG report shows how the BBC, through its presence and investment in MediaCity, played a crucial role in Salford becoming a “creative and digital cluster” hub over the last decade.
Recent Comments