As is evident from the monthly trends monitored by Vitrina globally for Film+TV Productions that were commissioned, greenlit or financed – the last 3 years have been turbulent and eventful – to say the least! A quick summarized view would be:

2022: A year of extremes—an early-year “revenge production financing” surge fueled by post-COVID recoveries, followed by a sharp market correction on Wall Street’s market-cap reset for entertainment companies, leading to widespread budget tightening.

2023: Marked by Hollywood strikes, which froze scripted productions in the US & UK, forcing many studios to pivot toward unscripted content and international markets to keep productions moving.

2024: A year of stabilization with no major peaks, but regional surprises—Japan, ANZ, Germany, and Brazil saw production spikes, while broadcasters continued scaling back commissioning amid shifting business models.

Jan -May 2025 : From Jan’25 to May’25, Netflix led the global commissioning activity, well ahead of Prime Video, BBC, Channel 4, and Fox. Season Renewals and Book adaptations showed steady month-on-month growth during this period, both peaking in May. Broadcaster commissioning climbed until March, dipped in April, and began recovering in May’25, though overall production orders remained below the same period last year. German-language productions rose notably in Q1, with the top commissioning countries between this year being the USA, UK, India, Germany, Canada, and France.

Insights on Production Transaction Volumes
May’ 25 vs. April’ 25

Methodology: Vitrina monitors projects worldwide across all stages of the content lifecycle—development, production, post-production, and release—on a daily basis. We track various transactions and deal activities related to content financing, commissioning, co-productions, green-lighting, as well as early stage (content development) and late stage (licensing). These transactions between production houses, distributors, streamers, and broadcasters enable us to gain valuable insights into industry trends, key players, buyer behavior, and the specializations of production companies. Our monthly Film+TV productions chart serves as a bellwether of production financing and industry health.

Below are the key highlights for May Film+TV Production Volumes:

• Global Production Trends: Global productions grew by 20% in May ’25 compared to April. EMEA and the Americas reported strong gains, with increases of 29% and 34%, respectively. APAC saw a slight decline, but the overall impact was not significant due to its smaller production base. The month also saw a modest rise in both book adaptations and co-productions. The growth was largely driven by U.S.-based players, with global U.S. platforms actively commissioning new projects across the EMEA region as well.
• Genre and Language Trends: In May ’25, English-language productions saw a rise, driven by increased commissioning from U.S.-based companies, while Spanish and French content remained steady. Drama and Comedy continued to lead as the top genres, consistent with the previous month. The overall balance between scripted and unscripted content remained stable.
• Top Players Overall: Netflix continued to dominate the production landscape in May ’25, increasing its production announcements from April. Prime Video, BBC, Channel 4, ZDF, and ARD also retained their top-tier positions, each with higher commissioning volumes than the previous month. New entrants to the top 10 this month include Bravo, Apple TV+, and Allen Media Group, reflecting a broader expansion in activity. Fox Network remained among the top 10 platforms like previous month. 
• Within AMERICAS:  Americas saw a rise in overall and new productions in May ’25. Netflix, Prime Video, Bravo, Apple TV+, NBC, Peacock, Fox Network were key drivers of this growth. Language contributions remained largely consistent, with English continuing to dominate and Spanish and Portuguese holding steady.
  Major players like NBCUniversal, TelevisaUnivision, Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and Warner Bros. Discovery and YouTube held Upfront 2025 presentations in May 2025, showcasing their 2025-26 content slates and advertising strategies. Apart from sports, there was a focus on unscripted content by global streamers; Disney and NBCUniversal leaned into star-driven projects and proven IP, mobile-friendly formats; while TelevisaUnivision announced multiple scripted micro-dramas.
• Within EMEA: Productions increased in May ’25, with broadcasters taking on a more central role in commissioning. BBC, Netflix, Channel 4, ARD, ZDF, and UKTV were among the key players expanding their output. A rise in activity from UK-based companies and global U.S. platforms contributed to an increase in English-language productions.
• Within APAC: While overall production volume in APAC saw a slight dip in May ’25, the region still witnessed production activity from key players. Netflix ramped up its regional commissioning efforts, and Korean-language productions gained traction. Scripted content further solidified its lead, highlighting APAC’s continued focus on high-quality, narrative-driven programming.