Industry group to examine Brexit impact

A new Creative Industries Council working group is being established to identify issues and opportunities across the creative industries, following the referendum outcome to leave the EU.

The government and industry-backed Creative Industries Council has created a new working group to assess the impact of Brexit on the UK TV and media sector.

John McVay (pictured), chief of indie producers trade association Pact, will chair the new group, which will gather experts from across the UK’s creative industries to identify the key challenges and opportunities arising from the recent UK vote to leave the European Union.

The group, whose final make-up has not been finalised, will report its findings to government.

Specifically, it will feed back to the UK the Culture and Business Secretaries, John Whittingdale and Sajid Javid, by mid-August. Both Conservative politicians this week sounded positive notes about the prospects of the media industry post-Brexit.

“This is a key moment for the creative industries to create concrete proposals that can bring benefits to the UK’s creative industries and ensure that one of the UK’s most successful sectors remains at the top table,” said McVay.

The Creative Industries Council was established as a forum between government and the UK creative industries various industry groups are represented including the Arts Council, Pact and UK Trade & Investment.

The UK TV sector’s initial reaction to Brexit was to voice concern, particularly about coproduction, funding and kids production.

The CIC has since issued a broadly positive report outlining a post-Brexit plan to grow UK creative exports. The UK kids business was also looking for positives this week at their first post-leave vote get-together in Sheffield at the Children’s Media Conference.