--
CPA survey results deconstructed --
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 12:13
--
Written byy Bobby Amm, executive officer, the Commercial Producers Association
With South Africa s unstable commercial production industry, and our currently strained economy, the topic of sustainability has been receiving a lot more attention. This has come sharply into focus via the CPA s annual survey, which has revealed some noteworthy results this year.
The annual CPA survey
The CPA runs a survey every year to better understand the magnitude of the industry and to detect prospects, challenges and local trends. The findings are assembled into two groups of results:
1. The whole group: 40 50 contributors per year
2. The control group: 30 South African production companies that participate in the survey every year
Even though the number of participants isn t high relative to the greater industry, most of the heavyweight companies are included, so the results are an adequate reflection of the general industry, we believe. For instance, the control group on its own, turned over R1,25 billion this last year.
The results from 2017
Commercials produced: In total, 703 commercials were produced by the survey participants for a little more than R1.6 billion.
Number of filming days: These ads were shot over 1 680 days, with an average daily budget of over R900 000.
Variety of commercials: More local ads were produced (368) than service ads (305), and South African directors made 30 ads for overseas clients.
Filming landscape: In total, 58 per cent of the ads were shot in the Western Cape, 39 per cent were shot in Gauteng, and only 3 per cent were shot in other regions.
Biggest customers: After South Africa, Germany was our biggest client, with 74 ads made. Next was the United Kingdom with 72, the United States with 51, France with 40, and Scandinavia with 26.
Expense analysis: Almost 50 per cent of production costs go to remunerating the crew and hiring equipment. The other big costs take up: 13 per cent for art and set construction, 5 per cent for location fees, 9 per cent for talent, and 6 per cent for post-production.
Rising location costs: Production is still relatively affordable in Johannesburg, but the increasing costs in Cape Town are making it hard to shoot commercials there. With accessibility to the area limited to those with deep pockets, the city and its surrounds are quickly becoming service-only regions.
How this affects you
From these results, it looks like the industry is dipping, mainly thanks to rising production costs and an insignificant change to turnover. This trend is more gradual in the control group, but it persists suggesting that production budgets aren t growing in line with expenses.
As this gap gets wider, so does the danger to the production industry. It s one we should take note of too, as other countries have taken years to recover after experiencing similar trends.
Impact on global projects
Something else we ve seen is that many CPA members are getting less work from overseas. We think this could be because of variables like:
Universal unease: Trump, Brexit, human trafficking, terrorism the world is a scary and uncertain place these days, so clients are less likely to travel.
Rate of exchange: The UK is no longer our biggest client, mainly because of Brexit and the weakening Pound. The Rand is also getting stronger against the US Dollar and the Euro, which has the potential to make South African production less affordable this season.
Location fatigue: Clients are on the lookout for novel, exciting locations. South Africa appears to have priced itself out of the market, to a point, so other players like Portugal, Thailand, and a few South American regions are preferred.
Politics & economy: SA isn t currently stable, both politically and economically, so clients (particularly newer ones) are choosing safer countries to film in. Plus, with our local recession, prices are up too.
Greedy South African: Some overseas clients believe that SA s succumbed to the greed factor. Production departments are growing and our talent want to earn more for working in remote areas. With less inflation in their home countries than we re familiar here, these clients may struggle to understand our increasing costs.
Bureaucracy: While it may be a lot easier to get a visa and process other admin needed for overseas clients to come to SA, it still isn t ideal; this deters clients from coming to SA. In fact, many jobs are lost annually because an overseas director can t apply for a visa in person.
The future of our industry
The views on the upcoming season are varied, with notable concern coming from experts who market to overseas clients. But it isn t all bad. For instance, South Africa has strengths that many other countries don t, such as:
1. A solid reputation in the production world
2. Hard working crews and quick-thinking solutions
3. Great South African hospitality
Some of the issues affecting our industry are beyond our control. Of the ones we can affect, however, many can be undertaken with some imaginative flexibility and a specific focus on keeping costs down. By working together, we may be able to secure these jobs and turn this downward trend around - for everyone s sake.
Related Articles
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
02/12/2025
Faculty Notes: Fall/Winter 2025 Recent accomplishments, releases, and events by Berklee faculty.
December 1, 2025
By
Editorial Staff
The cast of Kind of M...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
-- 
