Notes on the method
The current moment our country is facing has proven to be complicated and full of uncertainties; the effects of the crisis linked to the spread of the pandemic were compounded by the harsh effects of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
This work presents data relating to the structure and the Business Register entry and exit rates of businesses in the audiovisual supply chain in the period 2020-2022 retrieved by processing the main archives of official statistic registers (Istat, Chamber of Commerce registers sourced from Infocamere) and structuring the overall employment of the two-year period 2021-2022.
The companies in the supply chain are identified by a four-digit ATECO 2007 code, which identifies their reference data:
- 59.11 Theatrical, video & TV production activities;
- 59.12 Theatrical, video & TV post-production activities;
- 59.13 Theatrical, video & TV distribution activities;
- 59.14 Exhibition activities;
- 60.20 TV programming & broadcasting activities.
Starting out from the structural data sourced by Istat, the supply chain reveals an overall varied and diversified picture, with a large prevalence of micro-enterprises (post-production), medium-sized specialized businesses (theatrical, video and TV show distribution), and a large area of Majors committed to television programming and broadcasting.
The 2022 data on business demography from the Chamber of Commerce highlights critical issues for audiovisual supply chain businesses (although diversified). In particular, entry rates have decreased (particularly in the production field, while counter-trend data are found in post-production), and businesses have started closing again (specifically for Theatrical, video & TV production and post-production) after the pandemic crisis years supported by the recovery plan funds.
On the employment side, both the direct area and that extended to other workers present a significant recovery, impacting nearly 117 thousand units in 2022 with an increase of +4.7% compared to 2021 and an extremely significant self-employment component (+9.3%) within such dynamics.
With reference to women, the data processed reveals a lower number of businesswomen within audiovisual activities compared to the total economy, but still significant and equal to almost 30% of the total, also diversified within the supply chain. The growth data of businesswomen recorded in the previous two years are confirmed again in the same two sectors: Theatrical, video & TV post-production, and TV programming and broadcasting. The presence of young women entrepreneurs on the total is confirmed to be higher in post-production activities, an area which has overall grown compared to 2021.
Even in management, there is a lower presence of women in the audiovisual supply chain compared to other fields, but the data is improving, and today the share of women managers in the audiovisual supply chain is 23.1%. Young managers reveal a particularly positive trend, and although not high in absolute numbers exceed the under-35 male managers in the supply chain.
Finally, with reference to the employee component, the presence of women in the supply chain is, on average slightly higher than the overall figure (42.7% compared to 40.2%).