THE PRODUCTION PULSE - August 2025
Navigating the film and commercial production industry’s constant disruption can require a strategic pause to re-evaluate and pivot. This summertime newsletter from your global shoot partner serves as your guide to the latest trends, offering insights from industry leaders on how and where to forge a new path forward and create work that resonates with audiences worldwide. We’ll explore the key factors for business success, new growth opportunities in global markets, and how brands are adapting their strategies to connect with viewers in an evolving media landscape.
To get in the right mindset, try sidestepping the spotlight on your journey. Recharge with All Accor’s guest star treatment as captured by our team in Istanbul.
Key Insights from Digital Prophet David Shing
Summertime is an opportunity to recalibrate and choose a new path. “A time to shed the momentum that no longer serves and choose the momentum you actually need.” David ‘Shingy’ Shing spoke at AICP Week in New York and Los Angeles, highlighting the most important factors for business success.
Timing 42%
Team/Execution 32%
Idea (Truth) 28%
Business Model 24%
Funding 14%
PSN Expands Production Support to Japan and Ecuador
PSNās timing is shaped by the demands of industry producers. Weāve expanded our local shoot support for film, TV, and commercial projects inĀ JapanĀ andĀ Ecuador, demonstrating thatĀ weāre walking in step with the industryās needs.
We’ve taken a deep dive with our local production service partners to reveal key considerations about filming in these fresh filming destinations.
And remember thatĀ just one clickĀ will connect you with our production service partners worldwide.
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The Path to Best Creative Outcome
PSN is boosting creative results. “Cost effective” is just one part of our “creative effective” approach that resonates with producers. Shingy writes “Resonance is a drumbeatāsteady, chosen, human.”Ā Reach out to the humans at PSN to learn more.
Hungry Man Receives Emmy Nomination for Disney Commercial Scenes Shot with Our Team in Spain
We are here, which is most everywhere, to make productions that resonate with authenticity for a global audience. Look no further than this Taika Waititi-directed film for Disney – honored recipient of an Emmy nomination this year for Best Commercial.Ā Hungry Man called on the team at PSN Spain (Palma Pictures) to lens the sunny beach scenes of this heart-warming holiday story.
Continue reading below for my curated selection of industry news shaping our next moves.
FILM AND TELEVISION
Brands Buying Their Way Into Writersā Rooms
āAdvertisers are desperate to find new ways to engage with their audiences. It’s not a new conversation, but it’s gaining momentum and maturity from the brands. That’s why we’re seeing this shifting right now.” (The Wrap)
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Cineverse Forms JV To Create Serialized Micro-Dramas
“Early results in the space have underscored the massive strategic upside of this new format, including the opportunity to build an original IP engine with global monetization opportunities, to integrate brand partnerships, and support a robust creator economy flywheel.ā (Worldscreen)
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Disney Supports Growth Of Vertical Microdrama Studio DramaBox
“Participating companies in the Disney Accelerator scheme receive an undisclosed amount of investment capital, as well as mentorship from Disneyās senior leadership and the opportunity to explore collaborations with leaders across TWDC.” (C21 Media)
Paramount Future To Embrace Tech
āYou have a balkanized situation between technology and content, between Silicon Valley and Hollywood and the opportunity here is to actually start to blend that, and thatās what needs to happen.ā (Deadline)
SVoD Ad-tier Appeal Grows In Mature European Market
“As consumers reach their spending limit and the growth in streaming net additions slows, ad-tiers are becoming increasingly popular. Ad-supported tiers now account for over a quarter of all subscription OTT subscriptions in Western Europe, totalling nearly 70m in Q1 2025.” (Ampere Analysis)
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Bollywood Superstar Bypasses Streamers for YouTube
“The timing of this distribution experiment coincides with several technological and behavioral shifts in Indiaās media landscape. Khan points to the introduction of digital payments, increased internet penetration and the proliferation of smartphones and smart TVs as key factors that made this approach viable.” (Variety)
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A Weakening US Dollar Raises Awareness in Canada
āIf the American dollar does continue to go down even further, the more we reach parity, that could affect the industry, of course, because the bottom line is always a factor.ā (THR)
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Sustainable Surge In US Streaming Video Market
The primary drivers of that are a growing subscriber base, new service launches and price increases. Despite being a mature market, the U.S. continues to deliver double-digit revenue growth, with subscription VOD revenue rising by 18.3% year-over-year in 2024 to $56.1 billion. (Variety)
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SVoD Platforms Monetize Premium Content Through Ad-tiers
“Streamers are tailoring their ad strategies not just by pricing tier, but also by content typeāleveraging originals as prime inventory in the battle for advertising dollars. (The Desk)
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Scripted Commissions Drop By 24% At Top Global Streamers
“While the overall industry, excluding the six SVoDs, saw an 8% drop year-on-year in scripted commissions in H1 2025, the top six streamersā cuts were three times deeper, indicating a more pronounced pullback.” (C21Media)
K-Content Secrets To Success Revealed at CJ ENM Showcase
āIn these sessions, the top creators behind globally acclaimed, award-winning content unveiled the core secrets to their success from innovative storytelling to next-generation IP development, offering exclusive insights into what makes top-tier, award-winning content with global appeal.ā (WorldScreen)
Landmark Streamer Bundle with MENA Leader And Netflix
āTo have two streaming giants ā Shahid and Netflix ā come together under one platform is something never seen before in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and wider MENA, and weāre very excited for whatās to come.” (Variety)
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Producers At BAM On Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
“‘Making films in Colombia is an act of resistanceā¦.I think resistance is an essential part of independent cinema.‘ ‘Our goal is precisely to create pathways for cinema to remain a possibility not just for a few, but for a variety of voices.'” (Variety)
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Aggressive Growth at Prime Video India
“Localization efforts have paid off, with 25% of international content viewing time now occurring in Indian languages. The reverse is equally impressive: over 25% of Indian content viewership comes from outside India. In 2024, Indian content trended in Prime Videoās global Top 10 every single week.” (Variety)
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What Now After Trump Defunds US Public Broadcaster
“Public media has long been ‘one of the most trusted institutions in American life.’ The question is whether that trust will translate into enough financial backing from viewers and listeners to survive without federal help. (Forbes)
INCENTIVES
Geneva To Offer 30% Film Incentive in 2026
āThis initiative will enhance the economic attractiveness of our city and will also help to promote Geneva as a destination and boost its international image.ā It is expected that every Swiss franc invested will generate between 3.5 and 4.5 francs of economic benefit.ā (ScreenDaily)Ā
Near 100% Boost To Germany Film Incentives
āIt underlines the cultural and economic importance of our industry and creates reliable conditions for working at a high level and remaining internationally competitive ā a decisive boost for Germany as a film hub.ā (Screen Daily)Ā Click to learn more from PSN Germany.
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Legislation Extending Federal Tax Deductions in US Signal Nationwide Incentive Still On The Table
“The extension was included in Voightās draft plan to save Hollywood. Itās a beginning. You start somewhere, and itās a very good beginning. The hope is that a federal incentive will be ‘introduced in a bipartisan fashion soon.‘ā (Variety)
ADVERTISING
UTA Dedicates Team To Add Screen Value To Product PlacementĀ
Aside from boosting production budgets, brands also can enhance the world-building of a show or movie, whereas āfake or nondescript brands can take a viewer out of the experience.ā (Variety)
Brands Double Down On Marketing Spend Despite Uncertainties
āAmid a new round of tariffs, a weak jobs report, and fresh concerns about the global economy, a number of top corporate executives across sectors appear determined to defend one of their most prized assets: their brands. āWe are going to protect that marketing spend.āā (AdWeek)
Watch For Ad-Friendly Vertical Viewing
“Vertical advertising is typically managed by a brandās social or mobile investment team. This can lead to expanded brand partnerships, more revenue for the publisher and increased reach for advertisers. (The Current)
F1 Success Calls On Brands To Become Creators
“‘In the next five years, 50 percent of what is consumed as premium television will involve a brand from the beginning’. This transformation aligns with broader industry trends where ‘the cost of production is going up, and the appetite to spend is going down'”. (LBB)
Leo Burnett Korea Swaps Studio For Soil To Raise Sales & Trust in McDonald’s
ā’For a while, we werenāt agency creatives… we were farmers.’ The production timeline doubled to six or seven months, but gained authenticity. ‘You canāt fake a calloused hand or the emotion behind a farmerās pride.’ā (Campaign Asia)
Brands At Play In Wednesday’s Gothic World
“In entertainment marketing, character-driven precision beats broad-stroke branding every time. Wednesday delivered something rarer than a streaming hit – it offered a creative code for partners to decode.” (LBB)
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Cinema Advertising Rise Much More Than Pre-Show
“As streaming matures and becomes more fragmented and less predictable, cinema stands out as one of the few mass cultural moments brands can reliably tap into. And itās only growing more important as audiences seek meaningful, social and emotional experiences. The opportunities for brands to create authentic, memorable integrations have never been stronger.” (LBB)
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The AI Gap Between Ambition And Adoption
“Most businesses are not structured to embrace AI at speed. Thatās where agencies must step up. We need to become enablers of safe, smart and responsible AI adoption. That means helping brands define ethical guardrails, launch pilot programmes with purpose, and build confidence through clarity. Inaction is no longer a strategy. It is a risk.” (LBB)
Video Boosts US Internet Ad Market
Digital video continued to gobble up ad dollars in 2024, increasing 19.2% year over year to $62.1 billion. Growth came in part from short-form video: revenue from video ads that appeared within social media feeds.” (Marketing Brew)
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Advertising Drives 20% Of US Economy
“Advertising is a robust catalyst that stimulates extensive economic activity across every state and every sector of the US economy. Advertising drives spending by US business and households, stimulates supply chain activity and enhances income-based consumption.” (Advance Television)
CRAFT
Focus On The Work, Not The Tool Says Animator
“AI tools have helped us realise creative ideas that might otherwise have been too labour-intensive or time-prohibitive. But using them didnāt make the process effortless. Craft canāt be simulated. The judgement and authorship required by our team remained the same; they just took a new path. (Shots)
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‘Netflix of AI’ Start-Up Launches Tool for User-Directed TV Shows
āOur relationship to entertainment will be totally different in the next five years. Hollywood streaming services are about to become two-way entertainment: audiences watching a season of a show [and] loving it will now be able to make new episodes with a few words and become characters with a photo.ā (Variety)
Being Human
WGA Contract Priorities Follow The Audience For ’26 Negotiations
āWe are seeing so many non-union writers fill up the podcast space, the YouTube space. These people are creating content. Letās find a nuanced way to have people become partners and be protected as a union.ā (Variety)
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Building Authenticity From Within
“Being culturally fluent affects everything we do, from the zeitgeist insights and visual references used during the developing stages, to the music we play on set. Productions feel more resonant and collaborative when the environment is built on cultural fluency, open dialogue and intentional inclusion.” (Shots)
Measured AI Adoption At Indies
āThe overall attitude among indies is one of cautious optimism ā despite resistance to using AI (or being seen to use AI) in some areas, in others there is outright enthusiasm, with AI viewed not as a replacement of human creative efforts, but as a tool to aid creative processes and streamline monotonous tasks. (BroadcastNow)
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Roadmap For AI Adoption By BFI
āOur report comes at a critical time and shows how generative AI presents an inflection point for the sector. We need to act quickly on a number of key strategic fronts. A roadmap of key recommendations will support the ādelivery of ethical, sustainable and inclusive AI integration across the sector.āā (Variety)
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Protecting Creative Energy Amidst Crisis
“You need to give your brain a break from emails and meetings, and feed it something different. We seem to be busier than ever ā with more stress looming over us ā so itās easier said than done. Everyone will benefit if youāre re-energised and firing on all creative cylinders.” (LBB)
Just The FAQs
- What are the most important factors for business success in the current climate? This edition highlights insights from “Digital Prophet” David Shing, who identified timing (42%) and team/execution (32%) as the top two most important factors for business success.
- How are content creators and brands converging in a fragmented media landscape? The newsletter notes that advertisers are increasingly seeking to integrate into writers’ rooms to better engage audiences. It also points out the rise of ad-supported streaming tiers in Europe, and a growing focus on vertical advertising to expand partnerships and revenue. Experts cite how brands are becoming creators themselves, with the expectation that in five years, 50% of premium television will involve a brand from the beginning.
- Where are the new growth opportunities in global content production? This curated read points to several emerging areas. It notes the growth of serialized micro-dramas, with companies like Cineverse and Disney investing in the format. It also highlights the success of localized content, with Prime Video India seeing over 25% of its Indian content viewership coming from outside India. The newsletter also covers the introduction or expansion of film incentives in places like Geneva, Switzerland, and Germany, making them more attractive for international productions.
- How are production professionals balancing authenticity and commercial interests? The latest insights here include examples of brands that are prioritizing authentic storytelling. It mentions a McDonald’s campaign in Korea where the production timeline doubled to six or seven months to gain authenticity by featuring real farmers. The newsletter also emphasizes that character-driven precision beats broad-stroke branding for effective entertainment marketing.
- How can a production partner ensure cost-effective yet creative outcomes? Focus on ācreative effectivenessāāresonance, timing, executionānot just cost. PSN prioritizes human collaboration, storytelling, and authenticity to elevate results.
Thank you for reading. Let’s make productions that resonate with authenticity for a global audience together. Reach out to the humans at PSN to boost your creative results.
Warm wishes,
Michael
