The UK is now the world leader in non-scripted TV format exports, with one-third of global adaptations in 2024 coming from British formats. It’s a headline that reads like a win. But beneath the surface, the truth is harder to stomach: while the formats are travelling, freelance TV jobs are collapsing.
Why UK Formats Still Dominate Globally
British hits like MasterChef, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and The Voice remain staples across dozens of territories. Newer formats such as The 1% Club and The Piano have also made international waves.
What makes them successful? A mix of solid format structure, emotional clarity, and local adaptability. UK producers build formats that are easy to translate—both linguistically and culturally—without losing their core hook.
The Role of ITV Studios and Format IP
In 2024, ITV Studios led the export charge, leveraging tried-and-tested IP and launching new versions of The Voice, The Voice Kids, and interactive spin-offs. The strategy? De-risk with known hits, then experiment just enough to catch the attention of global buyers.
That same pipeline—backed by government creative sector incentives and co-production grants—means over 50 new unscripted formats are already commissioned for 2025.
So if the product is thriving, why is the workforce falling apart?
The Collapse of TV Freelance Jobs in Non-Scripted TV
Right now, it’s estimated that 55% of the freelance production crew in non-scripted TV are out of work. That’s not a talent shortage—it’s a job shortage.
Talented freelancers with years of experience in unscripted content are being overlooked, under-booked, or simply squeezed out. And it’s not just bad timing or the ebb and flow of production cycles. It’s systemic.
Ageism in production is no longer subtle. Many over-50s in TV find themselves excluded from opportunity—not because they’ve lost relevance, but because budgets favour cheaper, junior hires and short-term contracts.
Two Realities: Export Boom, Workforce Bust
There’s a disconnect. On one hand, UK non-scripted TV is a global success story. On the other, freelance TV professionals—editors, producers, floor managers, APs—are being pushed to the margins of their own industry in the biggest slump in TV Freelance jobs i’ve even known.
How can we celebrate format success while ignoring the growing number of freelancers leaving television altogether?
Fixing the TV Freelance Jobs Crisis
To sustain the UK’s global lead in TV formats, we must address the freelance employment crisis. That means:
- Recognising the long-term value of experienced crew
- Funding mid-career retraining and upskilling
- Creating policies that support freelance continuity and wellbeing
- Ensuring that initiatives like Action for Freelancers deliver more than hashtags
The strength of UK formats lies not just in great ideas—but in the teams that execute them, time after time, across every market.
Final Word
The UK’s role as a global leader in non-scripted television should be celebrated. But unless we rebuild trust and opportunity within the freelance workforce, we’re selling success on borrowed time. The TV Freelance Jobs market is in crisis.
The next global hit may be British—but will we still have British crews left to make it?
