ProdPro has created a proprietary method for estimating the production budgets of TV and film productions. The budget estimate for each project is inclusive of total spend on production, including above-the-line payroll, below-the-line payroll, and non-payroll costs throughout production and post. It does NOT include publicity, marketing or advertising.

The basis for the model is a comprehensive dataset of actual production spend figures for +700 productions, an aggregate of +$20B in spend, across every type of format, genre, studio and film locations. This data has been analyzed to understand the patterns and ranges within which live-action scripted TV and film content is actually produced. The model is continuously refined as new actual data comes into our dataset, as well as other data that informs the model.

The first step in our process is to assign a project to one of 50+ unique budget templates. Once a template is assigned, the budget estimate is further refined by applying assumptions based on the episode order (for Series), shooting location(s), production company, distributor, and year of production.

Yes, ProdPro’s budget model is further enhanced by incorporating actual data when available publicly or via trusted sources. Where available, the budget estimate for a production title will be replaced in the model with the actual figure. These actuals also further inform the model to increase accuracy on future estimates.

ProdPro continuously benchmarks its overall Total Addressable Market (TAM) data with publicly available data provided by state disclosures, 3rd party research reports, public company 10K filings, and other sources. Many of these sources track data differently, but can provide a useful proxy for evaluating trends and methodology. We also receive feedback directly from clients, who span the major suppliers of TV and film production globally for payroll, accounting, rental houses, agencies, post, and studio facilities.

ProdPro’s figures on total spend by studio will only include the original content spent on directly-produced, live-action, scripted TV and film. Studio reported “content spending” figures (e.g., “Netflix spent $17B in 2022”), can vary from our data as it may be inclusive of licensed content and 3rd-party produced original content. It also may be inclusive of various entertainment content categories not tracked in ProdPro, like sports, animation, and reality TV.

Yes, we offer ProdPro Analytics, a purpose-built visualization and report builder that allows organizations to discover and analyze industry trends. You can learn more about the product here. We also periodically report on overall trends statistics for news outlets, at conferences, and on our blog here.