Ambitious plans are being scaled back – but film and TV industry point to big existing investments in British production
Hollywood blockbusters including the eagerly anticipated Beatles biopics and big-budget TV series such as Bridgerton have been keeping the UK’s film and TV studio facilities packed.
But as the streaming wars recalibrate having passed “peak TV”, a slowdown in the content arms race is prompting property developers to switch to building datacentres amid the AI boom.
When the British Film Institute (BFI) finalises the figures on the number of films and high-end TV shows made in the UK in 2025 later this year, it is expected to show a third consecutive annual overall decline.
“Peak TV production is behind us now,” says one senior industry executive. “The great British studio building boom is officially over. Property companies thought riding that wave would be a big success; now datacentres are the new studios.”
