MPAA Report: Industry Wages, Jobs, Up Under Previous Administration

Under the previous Administration's policies, America's TV and film industry was already getting greater, at least when it comes to some key economic indicators.

The industry supports 2.1 million jobs, according to 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics stats cited in a New Motion Picture Association of America report. That was a 100,000-job boost from 2015.

Industry wages were also up $4 billion from 2015 to $49 billion, according to the MPAA report, with the industry contributing $134 billion in sales to the overall economy in 2016, up over $13 billion from the year before.

“While the awards season often focuses on glitz and glamour [the Screen Actors Guild awards were handed out Sunday, Jan. 21, it’s important to recognize that the impact of America’s film and television industry extends far beyond the red carpet,” said MPAA Chairman Charles Rivkin.

In 2016, 5,000 new TV and film businesses were launched, most of them small businesses, says MPAA.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics figures are the most recent, having been released in late 2017.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.