Active audiovisual companies
The breakdown by turnover highlights how the Italian audiovisual core is mostly represented by extremely small companies. Of the more than seven thousand and five hundred companies surveyed, about two thirds (4,897; 65.1%) record a turnover of less than 100 thousand euros per year; 20.7% do not reach 500 thousand euros, while only 2.2% (166 companies) exceed 5 million.
Breakdown of the audiovisual industry core by turnover
Year 2018 (absolute values and percentage share)
Absolute values
| Ateco | Ateco Classification | 0-100k € | 100k-500k € | 500k-1M € | 1-5M € | +5M € | Total |
| 5911 | Theatrical film, video & TV production | 3.285 | 825 | 171 | 194 | 83 | 4.558 |
| 5912 | Theatrical film, video & TV shows post-production | 793 | 168 | 50 | 55 | 9 | 1.075 |
| 5913 | Theatrical film, video & TV shows distribution | 106 | 68 | 24 | 31 | 22 | 251 |
| 5914 | Exhibition | 288 | 283 | 70 | 99 | 29 | 769 |
| 6020 | TV programming & broadcasting | 425 | 214 | 72 | 79 | 23 | 813 |
| TOTAL AUDIOVISUAL CORE | 4.897 | 1.558 | 387 | 458 | 166 | 7.527 |
Percentage share – Year 2018
| Ateco | Ateco Classification | 0-100k € | 100k-500k € | 500k-1M € | 1-5M € | +5M € | Total |
| 5911 | Theatrical film, video & TV production | 72,1 | 18,1 | 3,8 | 4,3 | 1,8 | 100,0 |
| 5912 | Theatrical film, video & TV post-production | 73,8 | 15,6 | 4,7 | 5,1 | 0,8 | 100,0 |
| 5913 | Theatrical film, video & TV distribution | 42,2 | 27,1 | 9,6 | 12,4 | 8,8 | 100,0 |
| 5914 | Exhibition | 37,5 | 36,8 | 9,1 | 12,9 | 3,8 | 100,0 |
| 6020 | TV programming & broadcasting | 52,3 | 26,3 | 8,9 | 9,7 | 2,8 | 100,0 |
| TOTAL AUDIOVISUAL CORE | 65,1 | 20,7 | 5,1 | 6,1 | 2,2 | 100,0 |
Percentage share – Year 2011
| Ateco | Ateco Classification | 0-100k € | 100k-500k € | 500k-1M € | 1-5M € | +5M € | Total |
| 5911 | Theatrical films, video & TV production | 70,1 | 18,6 | 4,7 | 5,1 | 1,6 | 100,0 |
| 5912 | Theatrical films, video & TV post-production | 70,6 | 17,8 | 4,7 | 6,6 | 0,3 | 100,0 |
| 5913 | Theatrical films, video & TV distribution | 40,0 | 27,1 | 11,0 | 13,3 | 8,6 | 100,0 |
| 5914 | Exhibition | 39,4 | 36,3 | 9,1 | 12,0 | 3,1 | 100,0 |
| 6020 | TV programming & broadcasting | 39,6 | 25,0 | 10,8 | 18,3 | 6,3 | 100,0 |
| TOTAL AUDIOVISUAL CORE | 62,9 | 21,5 | 5,1 | 6,1 | 2,22,22,2 | 100,0 |
Source: Fondazione Symbola estimates on Istat data
Breakdown of active audiovisual companies by business size
Year 2018 (absolute values and percentage share)
Absolute value
| Ateco | Ateco Classification | 0-10 employees | 10-50 employees | Più di 50 employees | Total |
| 5911 | Theatrical film, video & TV production | 4.321 | 180 | 38 | 4.539 |
| 5912 | Theatrical film, video & TV post-production | 1.057 | 49 | 2 | 1.108 |
| 5913 | Theatrical film, video & TV distribution | 224 | 16 | 5 | 245 |
| 5914 | Exhibition | 647 | 91 | 21 | 759 |
| 6020 | TV programming & broadcasting | 720 | 142 | 14 | 813 |
| TOTAL AUDIOVISUAL CORE | 6.969 | 478 | 387 | 7.527 |
Percentage share – Year 2018
| Ateco | Ateco Classification | 0-10 employees | 10-50 employees | Più di 50 employees | Total |
| 5911 | Theatrical film, video & TV production | 95,2 | 4,0 | 0,8 | 100,0 |
| 5912 | Theatrical films, video & TV post-production | 95,4 | 4,4 | 0,2 | 100,0 |
| 5913 | Theatrical films, video & TV distribution | 91,4 | 6,5 | 2,0 | 100,0 |
| 5914 | Exhibition | 85,2 | 12,0 | 2,8 | 100,0 |
| 6020 | TV programming & broadcasting | 82,2 | 16,2 | 1,6 | 100,0 |
| TOTAL AUDIOVISUAL CORE | 92,6 | 6,4 | 1,1 | 100,0 |
Percentage share – Year 2011
| Ateco | Ateco Classification | 0-10 employees | 10-50 employees | Più di 50 employees | Total |
| 5911 | Theatrical film, video & TV production | 93,7 | 5,1 | 1,1 | 100,0 |
| 5912 | Theatrical film, video & TV post-production | 94,0 | 5,1 | 0,9 | 100,0 |
| 5913 | Theatrical film, video & TV distribution | 88,0 | 10,5 | 1,5 | 100,0 |
| 5914 | Exhibition | 86,7 | 11,5 | 1,9 | 100,0 |
| 6020 | TV programming & broadcasting | 70,4 | 25,1 | 4,5 | 100,0 |
| TOTAL AUDIOVISUAL CORE | 90,9 | 7,7 | 1,5 | 100,0 |
Source: Fondazione Symbola estimates on Istat data
Of these 167 large companies, almost half (78) are active in the production stage. Likewise, the breakdown by business size also highlights a considerable number of small businesses. Of 7,527, 92.6% (6,969) do not reach 10 employees, while only 80 (77 in 2017) operate thanks to at least 50 employees (1.1%).
Breakdown of the active audiovisual businesses by regions
Years 2011, 2017, 2018 (absolute value and percentage share)
| Absolute value | % | |||||
| 2011 | 2017 | 2018 | 2011 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Piedmont | 382 | 421 | 420 | 5,6 | 5,8 | 5,6 |
| Valle d’Aosta | 15 | 18 | 19 | 0,2 | 0,2 | 0,3 |
| Lombardy | 1.425 | 1.592 | 1.645 | 20,9 | 22,0 | 21,9 |
| Trentino-Alto Adige | 131 | 179 | 197 | 1,9 | 2,5 | 2,6 |
| Veneto | 329 | 375 | 387 | 4,8 | 5,2 | 5,1 |
| Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 94 | 129 | 140 | 1,4 | 1,8 | 1,9 |
| Liguria | 154 | 145 | 144 | 2,3 | 2,0 | 1,9 |
| Emilia Romagna | 471 | 510 | 533 | 6,9 | 7,0 | 7,1 |
| Toscana | 345 | 364 | 378 | 5,1 | 5,0 | 5,0 |
| Umbria | 88 | 81 | 83 | 1,3 | 1,1 | 1,1 |
| Marche | 133 | 144 | 151 | 1,9 | 2,0 | 2,0 |
| Lazio | 1.950 | 1.986 | 2.072 | 28,6 | 27,4 | 27,5 |
| Abruzzo | 106 | 94 | 94 | 1,6 | 1,3 | 1,2 |
| Molise | 15 | 32 | 37 | 0,2 | 0,4 | 0,5 |
| Campania | 342 | 351 | 368 | 5,0 | 4,8 | 4,9 |
| Apulia | 246 | 278 | 279 | 3,6 | 3,8 | 3,7 |
| Basilicata | 30 | 47 | 51 | 0,4 | 0,6 | 0,7 |
| Calabria | 110 | 91 | 93 | 1,6 | 1,3 | 1,2 |
| Sicily | 343 | 305 | 323 | 5,0 | 4,2 | 4,3 |
| Sardinia | 112 | 104 | 113 | 1,6 | 1,4 | 1,5 |
| Italy | 6.821 | 7.246 | 7.527 | 100,00 | 100,00 | 100,00 |
Source: Fondazione Symbola estimates on Istat and Infocamere data
At a regional level, the audiovisual core seems to be concentrated in Lombardy (1,645 companies) and Lazio (2,072 companies) and, more specifically, in the two large metropolitan areas of Milan and Rome that engage almost half of the domestic supply chain. In Lombardy, the 2018 value derives from an increase of one percentage point in the incidence compared to 2011 (from 20.9% to 21.9%); Lazio, on the other hand, after an initial downsizing, today appears secured to a 27.5% threshold.