The Government has published its Creative Industries Sector Plan, vowing that it will “ensure that the UK is recognised as the best place in the world to make and invest in film and TV, music, performing and visual arts, video games, advertising and beyond”.

The plan is full of initiatives that the Government intends to implement over the course of the next 10 years as part of its wider 10-year modern industrial strategy (which we commented upon here).

Access to finance is a major theme, and the Plan sets out how the Government intends to increase business investment from £17 billion to £31 billion in the creative industries, including sector-specific ‘growth packages’. The British Business Bank will also provide more support with debt and equity finance, whilst UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will publish a new Creative Industries R&D Strategy later this year as part of its efforts to, among other things, increase public funding and “leverage substantial industry investment”. HMRC will also publish guidance on R&D tax reliefs in due course so that organisations have total clarity on when they can be claimed.

In addition to funding, the Plan sets out interventions that the Government intends to take to deliver a “highly skilled, flexible and dynamic workforce”, to increase trade and exports, and to forge new partnerships with industry. Examples include the appointment of a creative freelance champion who will “advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council”, and the establishment of a Creative Content Exchange which will be a “trusted marketplace for selling, buying, licensing, and enabling permitted access to digitised cultural and creative assets”.

There are also sections dedicated to the four “frontier industries” of (i) Film and TV, (ii) Video Games, (iii) Music, Performing and Visual Arts, and (iv) Advertising and Marketing. For each frontier industry, specific plans are outlined, including modernising co-production treaties with Canada, Australia and New Zealand for film and tv, asking the CMA to work with Ofcom to consider strategic partnerships or consolidation between public service broadcasters, and the publication of a video games skills strategy this year.

The Plan can be read in full here.