Industry

Among the many sessions held at MIA | Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo*in Rome, one of the most anticipated was the presentation of the 8th APA Report on National Audiovisual Production, offering a comprehensive overview of the Italian audiovisual industry's performance, emerging trends and future challenges.
Presented by APA President Chiara Sbarigia at Palazzo Barberini, the report, developed with contributions from CeRTA–Università Cattolica, eMedia, Fondazione Symbola and OpenEconomics, revealed a market that continues to expand despite growing concerns over investment and the uncertainty surrounding public funding.

According to the report, the Italian audiovisual sector generated €16.8 billion in 2025, an increase of 3.1% year-on-year, although growth slowed significantly compared with the 9% recorded in 2024. Online video remains the strongest driver, with free services growing by 15% and paid services by 10.3%. Employment also increased by 3.3%, reaching 128,336 people involved in audiovisual activities.
However, production investment declined for the first time since 2018, falling by 7.4% to €2 billion. Scripted production for television and streaming was particularly affected, with investment decreasing by €122 million. Fiction production reached €740 million, down 5.5%.

The report also highlighted a major shift in viewing habits. Online video now represents 43% of the Italian audiovisual market, compared with just 21% in 2020, and is expected to overtake linear television in value in the short to medium term. Unscripted programming continues to dominate broadcasters' schedules, with more than 17,000 hours of original first-run content. Independent producers account for 59% of titles, confirming their central role in the Italian television industry.

Streaming platforms are expanding their unscripted offerings, with the number of titles increasing by 51% and programming hours rising by 30%. Factual entertainment is the fastest-growing genre, with viewing hours up 36%, while the number of factual titles adapted from international formats has doubled.
Game shows are also gaining momentum, particularly in access prime time and prime time on general entertainment channels.

In scripted production, the number of original titles increased by 9% to 101, including 74 commissioned by linear broadcasters and 27 by streaming platforms.

Italian fiction continues to deliver strong performances across traditional television and digital platforms. Productions such as Sandokan and La preside attracted average audiences of more than 4.6 million viewers, while Mare Fuori exceeded 2.1 billion minutes viewed digitally. On Netflix, Il Mostro generated 9.7 million global views during its first week.
One of the most interesting findings for the international television industry concerns microdramas, examined for the first time in the APA report.
The rapidly expanding vertical storytelling market has already reached a global value of €14 billion, reflecting the growing popularity of short-form fiction designed primarily for smartphone viewing.
Platforms such as ReelShort, DramaBox, NetShort and DramaWave are already among Italy's top 15 entertainment apps in terms of consumer spending.
The report also highlights the launch of the first original Italian microdrama, Tutto in una notte, produced by Fascino PGT and featuring 54 episodes distributed through WittyTV and social media.

The presentation concluded with a discussion on creativity and the future of Italian audiovisual production, featuring senior executives from Rai Fiction, Netflix, Mediaset, Sky Studios Italy, Amazon Studios and Skydance Networks.