The Catalan audiovisual sector now exceeds €9 billion in turnover

Barcelona"Catalonia plays in the big leagues." This is how Jaume Baró, Secretary of Business and CEO of Acció, explained the situation of the Catalan audiovisual sector in the world during the presentation of the study on this industry, which the Generalitat (Catalan government) prepares annually as a prelude to the ISE audiovisual trade fair, the most important in Europe for this sector, which celebrates its sixth anniversary this year in the Catalan capital. The event will take place from February 3 to 6 at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona, ​​under the slogan Push Beyond ("go further").

The study, prepared by Acció, the Catalan government's business competitiveness agency, together with the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster and the Catalan Institute of Cultural Enterprises (ICEC), confirms that the sector has now surpassed €9 billion in revenue, a 6% increase – according to 2020 data. It also boasts 4,457 companies, a 7% increase, employing a total of 44,986 workers, an 8% increase over last year. "Catalonia is a very important player in the audiovisual sector. And it is for three reasons: the maturity and economic potential of the sector, with a great diversity of companies; the ecosystem we have created; and because it is a hub for generating and attracting talent," explained Baró. All of this represents 2.9% of Catalonia's GDP.

And for the CEO of ISE, Mike Blackman, who participated in a round table discussion after the presentation of the study, it's not highlighted enough. "We made the decision to come knowing the strength of the Catalan audiovisual sector. It was the right decision; exhibition has grown phenomenally," he said.

Cybersecurity and investment

Blackman highlighted cybersecurity and the Spark hall as new features of the fair. Spark is a space dedicated to creative industries that aims to connect professionals from live events, video games, and marketing to explore audiovisual narratives and immersive environments.

"We're always trying to create new things, and this year it will be the cybersecurity conference. We're seeing how it's increasingly affecting more companies." "We don't want to scare people, but rather say: 'Stay informed,'" Blackman added.

For the Cluster's president, Miquel Rutllant, much more private capital is needed in the sector: "The challenge now is to attract more capital. Events like ISE help us to boost this."

Sector Overview

The study's data points to a mature sector, as 74% of its companies have been in operation for over 10 years, employing the vast majority of the sector's workers (84%). At the same time, the startup ecosystem has more than doubled in the last five years, reaching 380 companies. Where are these companies located? What do they do? The Catalan audiovisual sector is highly concentrated in the Barcelona area, with 87% of the companies, and more than half of the total (57%) located in the Catalan capital. The growth of this industry in Catalonia is part of the sector's international expansion, which in 2024 generated over three billion dollars in revenue globally, also a 6% increase over the previous year. Up to 30 companies and organizations from the Catalan audiovisual sector will be present at the Catalonia Pavilion of ISE, organized by Acció, including Eurecat, i2Cat, Driving Studios, Amplify-Gestmusic, and Watchity.