James Burstall, CEO of super indie, Argonon, says that collaboration and increased confidence points to cautious optimism for 2026.
(James Burstall is the CEO of global independent production group Argonon and the second edition of his book, The Flexible Method: How to Survive and Thrive in a Crisis is available now)
As the end of the year draws closer and darkness falls ever earlier, the production industry can reflect on a brighter year, one in which the sector emerged from a turbulent 2024 to stabilise, moving into calmer waters.
With buyers back in business, commissioners searching for content and distributors keen to do deals, the evolution of the sector continued at pace, opening a new framework of opportunities for open-minded and outward-facing independents.
A key theme for the year was the continued internationalisation of content; in an era of more constrained commissioner budgets, developing and producing new series and strands with the potential to reach multiple buyers, was key to getting projects into production. Whilst not a new development – our labels Windfall Films, Like A Shot West and BriteSpark Films have been producing across international territories for multiple buyers for many years – the trend accelerated through 2025 and is now a strategic cornerstone across the group, ensuring an extensive pipeline of productions.
So, as we look ahead to 2026, what does the year hold for independent producers? Can our industry continue to grow into the future?
Whilst in today’s hyperconnected world, we continue to pay heed to macroeconomic factors, our sector’s enviable resilience and boundless realms of resourcefulness have been hugely encouraging and offer positive pointers for the next 12 months.
Firstly, right across the globe, we have observed a level of collaboration that is unprecedented in the history of our industry. Driven by a mixture of realistic expectations, proactivity and a desire to find pragmatic solutions, networks, buyers and streamers are increasingly understanding of the limitations of their budgets without losing their ambition for high quality programming. This is a positive for producers as we anticipate this will continue to open doors and offer new opportunities into 2026 – there is a genuine desire to work together with multiple partners to turn strong IP into great content. At Argonon, our labels are near fully commissioned, and the majority of hours produced by our UK-based labels have been for multiple international buyers.
Secondly, we are finding that the number of potential buyers in the market for high quality content is increasing, reversing trends of previous years. Nimble players are supplementing the existing networks, bringing money to the table, and offering opportunities to reach new audiences. And the opportunities are not only through the rise of FAST channels and YouTube but the growth of brilliant and distinctive storytelling platforms such as Bloomberg Originals with whom Windfall partnered for 2025 Emmy-winning series The Future with Hannah Fry.
Through 2025, we have also seen the upscaling in ambition of innovative and smart third-party distributors such as BossaNova investing – and sometimes even commissioning – content, demonstrating confidence in both the creative product and the health of the global acquisitions market.
And as the market develops new commissioning models, new and innovative financial backers are coming into the market, carving out new models to increase production liquidity, helping smooth the path to production. Alongside a team of talented creatives, a commercial mindset is crucial.
And despite the market challenges of recent years, the commissioning doors remain open to the right ideas. Whilst much has been made of the vanishing middle ground, our unscripted producer BriteSpark Films – alongside their own innovative funding partnerships – has just recently announced two new six-part series commissions from Channel 4, featuring major on-screen talent, Kevin McCloud and Paul Merton. Successful indies need a flexible approach, being open to a blend of models, markets and methods to get their shows onto screens.
For independent production companies, all these opportunities highlight the critical importance of developing and creating valuable IP. Mining your back catalogue, alongside developing a funnel of new ideas through your development team, is a strategic must-have for all producers to grow revenues. And it’s not just visual content; our label Like A Shot West’s evolution into podcasts has seen two number 1 hit shows in the US.
In today’s fast evolving world, the only certainty is that change will continue at pace. However, the industry’s endless innovation, positive energy and appetite for collaboration points to a bright year ahead in 2026.
Jon Creamer
Share this story
