According to Deadline, the British TV workforce is currently facing widespread unemployment as a recent Bectu survey found that almost half are currently seeking jobs. Many film and television professionals are being forced to look for employment in other industries.
Deadline reports that at the time of the union’s Big Bectu Survey 2025, 45 percent of TV drama and commercial workers and 46 percent of unscripted television workers were unemployed. Additionally, almost 70 percent said they were struggling financially.
According to Deadline, the effects of the US strikes can still be felt within the world of British television; only 17 percent of TV drama professionals, 10 percent of commercial professionals, and 11 percent of commercial workers report that their employment opportunities have returned to pre-strike levels.
Via Deadline, Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, spoke on the startling numbers and her concerns for the industry. “These findings lay bare the devastating impact of recent industry challenges compounded by years of insecure employment practices and poor conditions across much of the sector,”.
Deadline reports that the survey also queried film and TV professionals about workplace harassment and discrimination. 61 percent of workers said that they had either been a victim of or observed bullying of some sort. According to Bectu, almost half of these incidents went unreported.
Via Deadline, Childs added to her previous statement about the harassment numbers, “And on top of this, many TV workers face entrenched discrimination, bullying and harassment, propped up by huge power imbalances and a lack of independent and robust reporting mechanisms.”
According to Deadline, many British workers are finding that their income from the television industry may not be sustainable, and have sought work in other industries to supplement themselves. 29 percent have been forced to find a job outside of creative fields. Almost all of the TV workers in the survey, approaching 90 percent, feel that their current employment is uncertain.
Deadline reports that the UK television industry has been undergoing changes that could explain these concerns. Budgets have been stratifying to either side of the spectrum, with a decrease in mid-budget series in favor of low-budget series that can be produced in bulk and premium series that require niche expertise. The American television industry is also experiencing turbulence since the strikes, causing broadcasters to claim there is a “script funding crisis”.