Catalonia's Audiovisual industry grows 14% in one year, representing 3% of GDP with €8.636 billion in revenue

The audiovisual sector in Catalonia recorded a 14% increase in revenue over the past year, reaching €8.636 billion, equivalent to 3% of GDP. Overall, the sector is made up of 4,161 companies, up 4% from the previous year, and employs 41,866 people, reflecting a 13% rise.

These are the main findings of the study The Audiovisual Sector in Catalonia, conducted by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the business competitiveness agency belonging to the Ministry for Business and Labour, in collaboration with the Audiovisual Cluster of Catalonia.

“Barcelona would offer us enough space to grow, with the necessary accessibility and ecosystem to continue doing so in the present and the future”

Mike Blackman, General Director of the ISE

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The report was presented during an event at Catalonia Trade & Investment headquarters attended by leading companies in the industry, and the participation of Jaume Baró, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment; Miquel Rutllant, President of the Audiovisual Cluster; and Mike Blackman, General Director of Integrated Systems Europe (ISE).

According to Baró, "The audiovisual sector in Catalonia is highly strategic and a priority". The Secretary of Business and Competitiveness stated, "Catalonia is a leading player in this sector due to its economic potential, first-class ecosystem, and its ability to generate and attract talent". In this regard, he concluded, "If we have talent, new startups that provide innovative technologies emerge, and established companies grow, it indicates that the health of the sector is strong".

Miquel Rutllant added, "We are at a strategic moment for the Catalan audiovisual sector. Projects like The 3 Chimneys will mark the future of our industry so that it becomes an international benchmark. In Catalonia, we are very strong in technology and audiovisual talent. A very powerful audiovisual in cinema and television that includes new formats such as immersive experiences or video games, formats that are precisely characterized by their strong technological component. Catalonia Media City has to be the infrastructure that brings together state-of-the-art sets and data centers that can process the volume of data that the audiovisual industry needs. However, it must also bring together the main national and international players in audiovisual technology. And all of this requires collaboration between the public and private sectors".

In his turn, the general director of the ISE, Mike Blackman, assured that "Barcelona would offer us enough space to grow, with the necessary accessibility and ecosystem to continue doing so in the present and the future". In this line, "With the extension of the Fira de Gran Via, we still have more space to grow and project the future of the ISE in Catalonia".

The ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment study defines the audiovisual sector as an economic domain that brings together the creation, production, distribution, and exhibition of content combining visual and sound elements. As such, the sector covers a wide range of activities and industries tied to entertainment, communication, and technology.

In Catalonia, the study highlights a mature industry where 62% of companies have been operating for over a decade. These well-established firms employ 81% of the sector’s workforce. At the same time, there is a growing startup ecosystem, which has more than doubled in the last five years, reaching 335 emerging companies.

Additionally, the sector is highly concentrated around Barcelona, with 87% of companies located in the province and over half (56%) based in the capital.

Within the sector’s value chain, audiovisual development and production account for more than half (51%) of total revenue in Catalonia, followed by promotional activity (communication and advertising) at 36% and distribution to the respective channels (both offline and online) at 13%.

The study also highlights Catalonia’s first-class audiovisual ecosystem, referencing initiatives like the upcoming Catalonia Media City in the Three Chimneys area of Sant Adrià del Besòs and key infrastructures such as the Parc Audiovisual of Catalonia in Terrassa. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of entities like the Audiovisual Cluster of Catalonia and the 18 university centers specializing in audiovisual communication.

ISE turns Catalonia into one of the main stages of the sector

One of the elements making Catalonia a global hub for the audiovisual sector is the fact that it hosts Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the industry’s leading trade fair. According to the study, ISE’s presence has significantly boosted the sector’s growth and revival after the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. (The fair was first held in Barcelona in 2021).

According to the study, ISE’s presence has significantly boosted the sector’s economic performance. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of audiovisual companies grew by 15%. Moreover, firms established prior to ISE’s location in Catalonia saw their revenue increase by 30% between 2021 and 2023, partly due to the fair’s impact.

Catalan companies at ISE in the Government Pavilion

The 2025 edition of ISE, which will take place from February 4- 7, will count on 32 Catalan companies and organizations in the Catalonia Pavilion, organized by the government through ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment.

Specifically, ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment will host 24 companies and organizations, while the Institut Català d'Empreses Culturals (ICEC) of the Department of Culture will host the remaining eight. The Catalan companies and organizations exhibiting at the Pavelló Catalunya are Adtel-NRD Multimedia, Amate Audio, Behind Pictures, Cesva Instruments, Clúster Audiovisual de Catalunya, Ebantic; EGM, Eurecat, Fluendo, Framemov, i2CAT, iDISC, Iquadrat, Ledscontrol, Neovideo, SeeSound, Stilbox, Watchity, Aima Beyond AI, Aumenta Solutions, Cactus IoT, FootAnalytics, Keynema, WindowSight, Brooder Lab, Desilence, Gnomalab Estudio, Hamill Industries, Hand Coded, Playmodes Studio, Sínoca, and Xavi Bové Studio.

Within the framework of the congress, ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment is also organizing the Open Innovation Challenge, a format of rapid business meetings so that Catalan companies and startups can respond to various technological challenges in the audiovisual field presented by some fifteen multinationals and other companies such as Gestmusic, Suara Cooperativa, Telefónica, 3Cat, Planeta and Mediapro. More than 300 meetings are expected to be held with companies from about forty countries. This activity is organized by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment as a member of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) of the European Commission in Catalonia.

Screen use growth is growing globally

The global audiovisual industry generated $2.8 trillion in revenue in 2023, a 5% increase compared to 2022, and is expected to surpass $3 trillion by the end of 2024. While the United States remains the largest market, accounting for over one-third of global expenditure, the report highlights countries in Asia, such as Indonesia, China, and India, as having the best combination of current market size and growth potential.

Given all this, the sector’s dynamism stems from the digital transition, the ubiquitousness of smartphones, and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence.

The report also identifies key trends in the audiovisual sector, including the growth of virtual sets, the shift from linear TV to on-demand streaming, the rise of audio entertainment formats like podcasts, and the growing influence of content creators and influencers as audiovisual generators for mass market consumption.