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In Partnership with
www.mediacityuk.co.uk info@mediacityuk.co.uk
Printed on Zanders Mega Matt
August 2007 NWDA H7-16
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mediacity:uk location and site plan KEY:
strength in difference mediacity:uk – the vision Based at Manchester’s waterfront on Salford Quays, mediacity:uk is the most significant media development in the UK. A Peel Media development, it will see the creation of a ‘media city’ for the world’s leading creative and digital businesses. An international leader, mediacity:uk will deliver £1bn in additional net value added to the British economy over five years once complete. Developing mediacity:uk will not only generate significant economic, social and creative benefits for Greater Manchester it will also provide a significant economic driver for the wider North. It is highlighted in the Northwest Regional Economic Strategy as a key transformational action, making it one of the most fundamentally important projects in the region. The BBC is one of mediacity:uk’s anchor tenants. From 2011, mediacity:uk will be home to five BBC departments, including two TV channels and two radio stations: BBC Children's (including CBBC and CBeebies television and radio); BBC Formal Learning; parts of BBC Future Media & Technology; BBC Radio Five Live (including Five Live Sports Extra); and BBC Sport. Approximately 1,500 London-based posts will relocate to Salford Quays in 2011 and the 800 staff currently based at the BBC in Manchester will also move to the new site. The BBC is just one component of mediacity:uk’s ambitious vision. Its enviable environment will be home to the biggest companies in broadcasting, new media and technology, all of whom will be supported by future-facing technology in a purpose-built location. mediacity:uk will provide a robust infrastructure for major broadcasters to operate 24/7, with the flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of the industry in the coming years.
At its centre will be the most advanced studio block in the UK with over 20,000 sq m of office, production and post production space that can be used by a variety of companies, large and small. A Media Enterprise Centre for supporting media businesses connected to other media centres via high speed links across the world - will provide a focused business support environment and, combined with other innovation and skills initiatives, will make this the best place in Britain to train in the industry, develop new ideas and grow business. Salford University’s Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Sciences will have a presence on site. Alongside other homegrown and international universities, it will develop new talent for the industry and drive knowledge transfer, innovation and enterprise. The vision of a world-class media city is now underway, ensuring creative industries in the Northwest and the UK can compete on a global playing field for generations to come.
Bryan M Gray, Chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Chair of the mediacity:uk steering group
BBC Buildings
Studios
Car parking
Office Space
Residential
Cafe / Restaurant
Media Enterprise Centre (MEC)
Retail
The Lowry
Proposed Education Building
Hotel
Potential studio space
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future media - looking ahead
a media-driven city If media itself is changing, so too must the infrastructure and environment to support our digital and creative industries. mediacity:uk will combine the needs of the public and professional communities, providing incredible resources for both visitors and media producers. At mediacity:uk, Peel Media’s production facilities will have the highest specifications of anywhere in the UK, while a high-tech infrastructure - digital billboards, flexible production and office space – will go hand-in-hand with the most modern design. A glass colonnade will double up as a digital screen and within the building the public will get a glimpse into the radio and production studios. The state of the art, High Definition facility will provide almost 20,000 square metres of office and production space. An ‘interactive’ public plaza, roof gardens, waterfront walkways and
Traditional media as we know it is changing. Consumers today want products and services that fit their needs, delivered at a time and in a format that suits them. Challenging times lie ahead for media producers, and some of the UK’s more ‘traditional’ media institutions have stepped up to the mark. Director-General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, recently said ‘The foundations on which traditional media is built may be swept away entirely.’ All this challenges the industry to create new forms of content and to invest in emerging technological trends. Collaboration has become the cornerstone of success: boundaries between creators, producers and distributors have been stripped away, replaced by open source software, knowledge transfer, universal technical standards, open innovation and multi-platform development. As personal broadcasting comes of age, the line between producer and consumer will blur. Webcasting, blogging, community radio and social technologies will become part of the mainstream. Distribution, too, is changing, as people across the world share music, film, games, design – and develop new business models in the process.
new media - new models of working Across the world, collaboration is becoming increasingly important. The BBC, for example, already spends at least 25% of its online budget with independent producers, and organisations like Google and BT regularly seek out young, innovative companies to keep ahead of the technology game.
narrow, pedestrianised streets will combine to create a lively street life. And there will be all the facilities you’d expect of a city - banks, supermarkets, shops, cafes, bars, dry cleaners, gyms and even dentists and doctors. The centrepiece of mediacity:uk will be a spectacular piazza. At 15,000 square metres - almost twice the size of Trafalgar Square – and with landscaped gardens, walkways and seating areas, the Wi-Fi enabled outdoor piazza will provide a natural meeting and networking point for businesses and visitors.
It’s exactly this kind of convergence mediacity:uk encourages. Here, designers, programmers, advertisers, musicians, producers, academics, technology start-ups, broadcast journalists, publishers and website specialists will all work closely together to produce collaborative content. Companies will range from the global Blue Chip brand and innovative ‘dotcom’ enterprise to the university spin-out or social media start-up. 1,000 new businesses are
On the opposite banks of the Manchester Ship Canal sit the awardwinning Imperial War Museum North and Lowry Arts Centre alongside shops, restaurants, bars, a cinema and water sports facilities.
predicted to flourish every year, while a £10 million Media Enterprise Centre will provide tailored business support for these young businesses. Networking will become the norm and it’s exactly this kind of networked working that will give mediacity:uk companies an additional competitive edge.
mediacity:uk vital statistics • • • • • But existing channels and media still have a future - it’s simply that old and new media will collide in unexpected ways. It’s likely that those same consumers-turned-producers will still turn to global media brands – such as the BBC, Sky and CNN – for high quality news and analysis. It’s just that they’re likely to be more sophisticated in their requirements. This rapidly changing environment demands a re-think of production, business support and the interaction between customers and suppliers. It demands a hub where media corporations exist side-by-side with independent producers. It requires new ways of doing business and a renewed ability to expand - or contract - as quickly as audiences and technology demand. mediacity:uk is the response.
mediacity:uk will cover 200 acres of former dockland at Salford Quays mediacity:uk will deliver £1bn in additional net value to the regional economy over five years once complete It will provide employment for 15,500 people and provide space for 1,150 media, creative and related businesses It will create 7 million square feet of new and refurbished floor space for business, retail and residential property mediacity:uk will create 1,500 trainee posts per year
media cities around the world Seoul: Seoul Digital Media City (DMC) is a
Leipzig: The German government placed
Dubai: Strategically located in Dubai at the
new town in the North-Western part of
a major TV facility in Leipzig to kick-start
crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and
Seoul which has developed into a high-
the economy after reunification. Today
South Asia, Dubai Media City creates a
tech business centre with state-of-the-art
Leipzig has more than 1,500 media
world-class environment for every kind of
facilities and infrastructure for future
enterprises, a turnover of 3bn euros and
media business, including media and
industries. The DMC is 1.7 times the size
80% of its citizens work in media, ICT or
marketing services, printing and
of Canary Wharf and aims to become a
cultural industries – that’s 40,200 jobs.
publishing, music, film, new media, leisure
world-class complex for broadcasting,
and entertainment, broadcasting and
movies, games, music, e-learning and
information agencies.
related industries.
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a region with the right infrastructure
Already home to a significant cluster of digital and creative industries employing some 320,000 staff, the Northwest has the creativity, skills, infrastructure and supply chain to facilitate further expansion. Creative industries employment rose by almost 30% between 1995 and 2002. The sector contributes 16% to the region’s economic output – worth around £15.8 billion a year – and is the second largest creative cluster in Europe. Indeed, the Northwest’s digital and creative sector is outpacing UK trends, with growth rates standing at 10% above the national average. According to the national Boho Britain creativity index, Manchester comes top of the ranking for filing patent applications – beating 40 other UK cities, including London. This high level of innovation can be attributed to a number of factors. A strong creative and digital sector is crucial, as is the quality and size of research-led
universities. The number of high-growth technology companies based in the region also supports innovation. But the other vital ingredient is the ease with which businesses and researchers can collaborate, taking a potential product from conception to marketplace. Already, the links between universities, spin-out companies and larger commercial organisations is robust, with dedicated support and funding from both the public and private sector.
The Northwest is the economic powerhouse of the North of England. Inside Manchester’s £47 billion economy, you’ll find the largest business and professional services sector outside London, with financial, legal, property and consultancy services supplying both business-to-business and business-to-consumer support. Greater Manchester, the home of mediacity:uk, has particular economic muscle. Over 60 banks operate in Manchester, and it’s the largest regional corporate finance and stock-broking centre in England.
Communications infrastructure in the region is equally impressive. The Northwest is home to the largest internet exchange outside the South East – the UK’s biggest free wi-fi scheme is about to commence, connecting over two million residents to a free highspeed network.
mediacity:uk transport mediacity:uk will be extremely well-connected. The motorway and national rail networks are on its doorstep, while Manchester International Airport is just a 20-minute drive away so doing business with the rest of the world is easy. Central Manchester is accessible by a 12-minute tram-ride, with a new Metrolink station reaching right into the heart of mediacity:uk. Meanwhile, significant investment into the transport infrastructure across the whole of Greater Manchester will deliver bigger and better public transport – from additional buses to the expansion of the Metrolink tram network – as well as improving the city-region’s roads and motorways.
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converging media
Convergent media at mediacity:uk
Screen media
Publishing
The Northwest has a strong tradition and history within screen media, with regional production companies – Mitchell & Kenyon, the National Film Agency, Pennine Films, the Mancunian Film Company – flourishing well before the advent of sound. Today, the Northwest is the biggest producer of TV outside London. Northwest-made TV reaches 11% of all UK TV households and regional production companies create more network drama than any other English region outside London.
It’s no secret that the publishing sector is facing serious challenges as media convergence impacts on business models, products and audiences. However, the Northwest’s major publishing companies – including Guardian Media Group, Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press and Emap - are evolving fast and embracing new opportunities. This is partly due to the size and strength of the companies themselves and also due to their investment in new types of content and delivery.
Elsewhere, filmmakers, production companies, animation specialists and broadcasters are flourishing, with the overall sector worth around £1.4 billion. In addition to BBC and ITV Granada you’ll find large independent production and post-production companies such as Red Productions, Lime Pictures, Sumners, Tightrope, Baby Cow and Cosgrove Hall. Digital TV and digital radio take-up rates here are among the highest in England, while take-up of broadband is higher than London.
Music and radio The Northwest is known throughout the world for its audio output. Both music and radio remain strong here: there are four national orchestras based in Manchester alone, while there is a healthy mix of public, commercial and community radio spread right across the region. Five commercial radio stations are already based at Salford Quays and over 50 are based in the Northwest as a whole. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is benefiting from a new, custom-built studio at mediacity:uk, and, in 2008, the Hallé Orchestra celebrates 150 years of outstanding music. The Northwest also has an internationally recognised expertise in community radio and broadcasting.
mediacity:uk will support all areas of the screen media, publishing and the audio sector. Its studio block will be a shared space that can be used by a variety of companies, large and small. At 20,000 square metres, it will contain the most advanced production and postproduction facilities in the UK. Elsewhere, flexible short-term lets will support new business start-ups and a range of office and production units - from incubator and accelerator units to larger premises. This high degree of flexibility is evident in the Pie Factory. One of the first buildings to open at mediacity:uk. It opened in early 2007, this 70,000 square foot studio complex proved an immediate hit. Two major BBC films were underway almost as soon as the converted food factory opened its doors. Paul Abbott’s Tightrope Films, lighting hire companies, two casting agencies, an event staging company, Gallowglass, Just Shoots, a TV service company and a production company were all using the Pie Factory within weeks of opening. It’s the perfect illustration of how mediacity:uk brings together large and small production companies – and gives them easy access to other services and resources they might need.
Red Production Company Set up in Manchester in 1998, Red quickly became an independent production company to take note of. One of its first series – Channel 4’s Queer as Folk – proved a hit, and subsequent shows – including Clocking Off, Linda Green, Bob and Rose, The Second Coming and New Street Law – won both industry and popular accolade. Since then, Red has produced over £100 million-worth of network drama and comedy for Channel 4, ITV and the BBC. Annual turnover currently stands at around £10 million. ‘There’s an infrastructure here that’s built up from over 50 years of Granada and then the BBC,’ says Andrew Critchley, Red’s Managing Director. ‘We rent offices from Granada and use the Granada/BBC joint venture 3sixtymedia for our post-production.’
ITV Local Granada ITV Granada recently issued a call to viewers to join its digital revolution. The company launched ITV Local Granada in 2007, a regional TV service that’s broadcast over the internet. The service allows users to download programmes on demand, and it encourages local filmmakers to submit their work for possible broadcast. ITV Local revolves around the newsroom, with audiences likely to tune in so that they can either watch their local news at a time that suits them or access in-depth interviews unable to be shown during normal TV airtime. ‘We’re offering a broader package,’ confirms Joanna Ashton, ITV Local Granada’s Channel Manager. ‘We are offering user-generated content and community news, extending our news coverage and interviews and giving viewers an opportunity to view again some of our regional programmes.’ The benefit of webcasting rather than conventional broadcasting is that audience feedback can be monitored in more detail. This kind of entertainment – that crosses platforms, involves the end-user and gives audiences a degree of autonomy – is exactly the kind that mediacity:uk will support.
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digital services and ICT
creative services
With a sector that has a turnover of over £6 billion every year, digital business in the Northwest is set to expand rapidly. Figures from inward investment agency MIDAS suggest a 50% growth in the sector over the next seven years, while companies based in the region already include Google, Surfcontrol, Oracle, BT, Cisco, Amaze, Fujitsu, Ericsson, Virgin, Siemens, Idaho, Bizarre Creations and Stardotstar. A number of centres of excellence are here already – such as the National Computing Centre and the University of Salford’s Centre for Virtual Environments – while the region also boasts its own independent trade association, Manchester Digital. In gaming, over 40 development studios operate alongside a small games publishing presence. Some of the world’s leading game developers – such as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, have a strong presence in the Northwest. And here too, the industry benefits from its own trade body.
Digital Services and ICT at mediacity:uk mediacity:uk will be an exemplar of digital technologies for the future media industries: from high speed Wi-Fi access in public areas to next generation broadband for companies across the city. Companies will be able to access the latest developments in digital technologies and as new services and opportunities come on stream, mediacity:uk will adapt to this change and deliver the most appropriate technologies for anchor tenants, SME's, consumers and homeowners, ultimately resulting in a truly digital city.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has been operating in the Northwest since 1984 and currently employs around 600 people at its Liverpool development studios which has rapidly expanded into Quality Assurance. The company as a whole is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation hardware and software in 104 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania, with over 40 million PlayStation units shipped across these territories by 2005. The PlayStation is one of the most successful computer entertainment products in history.
The Northwest is a highly creative region. It’s here you’ll find the highest number of design agencies outside London, in a location where design has played a catalytic role in the region’s cultural renaissance. Design was, for example, intimately bound up with Manchester’s music scene in the 80s and 90s and now those same designers have come of age, buoyed up by a new generation of creative professionals.
The region also has a reputation as the UK’s leading regional centre for advertising, with over 40 organisations and its own trade network. The sector is worth around £1.25 billion. Major companies include McCann Erickson, Love Creative, Brahm, BJL, The Chase, magneticNorth, Mitch Walker, Brahm and BDH/TBWA. A good support network is in place, too, with the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Northwest office here and the only regional office of D&AD based in Manchester.
Creative Services at mediacity:uk The potential gains for creative companies operating out of the Northwest are huge. Increasing numbers of media and production companies working across a breathtaking array of platforms will look to this sector to provide the ‘softer’ skills needed for selling, branding and marketing their products. Manchester-based creative agency Bubble, for example, has already offered design, animation, film and marketing services to support Sony’s PlayStation Portable.
Manchester Digital Established in 2001, Manchester Digital is an independent trade association with over 200 members working across the digital sector. ‘The fact that we have so many members is an indication of how healthy the sector is,’ says Shaun Fensom, Chair of Manchester Digital. ‘And our membership is dominated by high-tech or very cutting-edge creative digital agencies.
BDH/TBWA BDH\TBWA was born in Manchester in 1964 and is part of the global TBWA network. Since then, it’s grown into a top 30 UK advertising agency – both in size and stature - employing 125 people in its south Manchester office. Because it’s part of the TBWA global creative community, the company also has access to a worldwide pool of knowledge, talent and best practice. BDH\TBWA has won over 50 IPA Effectiveness Awards. Described as ‘adland’s most rigorous award schemes because entrants have to prove their communications strategies have worked in hard business terms’, BDH\TBWA take pride in the fact that they’ve won more awards than any agency outside of London – and more than most agencies within.
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education and industry skills
mediacity:uk play your part A place like no other mediacity:uk is a UK first. Where else will you find this mix of global broadcasters, and innovative interactive media companies? Where else will you find support for young businesses alongside the best production facilities in Britain? Where else will showcase the best of the UK’s creative and digital industries alongside public productions, performances and facilities? And where else has newly-built, hightech office and production space set within a bustling city environment? A place to grow mediacity:uk is dedicated to the creative and digital industries. Whatever the size of company or organisation, its mix of flexible space and on-demand production facilities will make it one of the best locations in the UK for media production. It allows companies to expand and contract as the market demands. And its commitment to both work-based and academic training means that workers at mediacity:uk will remain ahead of the game when it comes to gaining new skills.
The Northwest is fast developing its knowledge economy. Its 16 Higher Education Institutions – with Manchester Metropolitan University and The University of Manchester, the largest in the UK – form the backbone of much of the science, technology, creative and digital activity in the region. The University of Salford has one of the largest media, music and performance schools in the UK, and will be working in partnership with the BBC and other mediacity:uk organisations. The Northwest has the highest number of people with graduate level skills outside London and the South East, feeding those companies based here who need highly skilled workers. And the region has the highest performing research and teaching institutions outside Oxford, Cambridge and London.
and University of Salford has forged ahead with a dedicated project that links full-time students to creative businesses and offers the kind of workplace training that technology-driven media companies demand. Called the ‘Northern Edge’ and led by a consortium of 16 universities it builds on existing academic and training strengths across the whole of the North. ‘We’re looking at ways we can work with employers – things like joint projects between businesses and universities, taught modules that are more closely integrated with industry needs – but we’re also looking at how we can help graduates make the step into business themselves,’ says Northern Edge project director Professor Ron Cook.
While the BBC is working with colleges and universities throughout the region to develop the skills base in the North, the Northern Way
Education and Industry Skills at mediacity:uk mediacity:uk will generate 1,500 trainee posts per year, creating significant opportunities for creative industries graduates from across the UK. A Media Enterprise Centre - based at mediacity:uk but serving the whole of the UK – will be a one-stop-shop for media and new media businesses, providing everything from dedicated business advice and training to more practical support, such as the provision of high-spec meeting rooms and exhibition space. Close by, Manchester Science Park has teamed up with the University of Salford to create the new Salford Innovation Park, which provides complementary facilities to mediacity:uk, such as additional flexible space for start-ups working in creative, digital and technology-based companies. And at the entrance to the mediacity:uk site, a City Academy that specialises in media, ICT and enterprise will inspire secondary school children to pursue further and higher education within creative industries subjects.
Salford University’s Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Sciences With one of the largest media schools in the UK with over 4,000 students, the University of Salford is currently exploring the integration of its Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Sciences into the mediacity: uk site. Exciting plans are underway to develop strong education, training, research and community engagement collaborations with the BBC and other mediacity:uk organisations to consolidate the University's existing strong links with the arts and media industry.
A place for now – and for tomorrow mediacity:uk has already begun. In February 2007, the Pie Factory opened its doors, creating a flexible production space that will continue to operate as the rest of mediacity:uk is built. In 2007, the University of Salford announced they were exploring the intergration of the Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Sciences into mediacity:uk. In May 2007, the BBC signed a contract with mediacity:uk. Work began on site in June 2007 and the BBC will move to their brand new facility in 2011. It won’t take long for all 200 acres of mediacity:uk to rise up by the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal. Demand is already high for the office, production and retail spaces on offer. A place to be mediacity:uk makes room for all. Whether digital media, TV and film production, broadcasting or publishing - or business support, financial and retail services – mediacity:uk can provide new business opportunities. To find out more about what mediacity:uk can do for your business – and to become a part of the UK’s most exciting creative and digital community visit www.mediacityuk.co.uk or email info@mediacityuk.co.uk
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