August 2025 marked a dynamic month for the global content industry, with distinct regional patterns shaping production activity, according to the latest data from Vitrina’s Daily Production Tracker. Overall, the month highlighted growing participation from regional broadcasters alongside continued dominance by global streaming giants, while the content mix remained broadly stable, favoring scripted drama.
Globally, the proportion of scripted content held steady at 75%, compared to 25% for unscripted. Drama saw an uptick, accounting for 29% of new productions—up from 26% in July—while genres such as comedy, documentary, reality, and animation remained relatively unchanged. English-language productions grew significantly to represent 57% of the total output in August, up from 49% the previous month. Russian-language content also increased its share modestly, suggesting a broader diversification in language output.
In terms of market activity, Netflix and Prime Video retained their positions as the top two commissioners globally. However, ITV emerged as a key player, joining the top five for the first time. Other consistent performers in the top 10 included Channel 4, ZDF, Hulu, and NTV Mir. New entrants in August included BBC Northern Ireland, HGTV, and Paramount+, while Disney+, Channel 5, Apple TV+, and UKTV exited the leaderboard.
In the Americas, scripted output surged to 84% in August from 79% in July, with drama accounting for 35% of all activity in the region. This growth was fueled by long-term studio partnerships supporting high-profile commissions. Notable examples include Hulu’s “Foster Dade” from Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions, “Murray Hill” by WBTV and Kaling International, Netflix’s “Dad Camp” from 21 Laps Entertainment and Happy Madison Productions, Prime Video’s “Dish It Out” by Tastemade Studios, and Paramount’s “The Island” produced by Day Zero Productions. Importantly, the field of active players expanded with Paramount+, HGTV, and Tubi entering the leaderboard for the region.
In the EMEA region, production volumes remained steady, with English, German, Russian, and Spanish leading in language use. Scripted content accounted for 69% of production in August, a slight rise from 67% in July. ITV climbed to the top of the regional commissioning leaderboard, while Channel 4 held its position in second. ZDF, NTV Mir, BBC, and Channel 5 maintained their strong presence, and ARD joined the ranks as a new entrant.
The APAC market saw significant changes in August. English-language production rose sharply to 41%, up from just 18%, driven largely by broadcasters in Australia and New Zealand. This increase came as Japanese and Hindi-language productions declined. The genre distribution across drama, animation, and comedy remained consistent, but the balance between scripted and unscripted content shifted to 74% scripted and 26% unscripted, compared to a higher scripted share of 88% in June. New Zealand’s Three (TV3) led the APAC commissioning leaderboard, followed closely by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, while Prime Video pulled back on its regional investments.
From a historical perspective, the data highlights how the past three years have shaped the current production landscape. In 2022, the industry experienced a surge in “revenge production financing” following pandemic recovery, which later corrected sharply due to market-cap resets on Wall Street. In 2023, Hollywood strikes caused a pivot toward unscripted content and international markets. By 2024, the market stabilized, with regional spikes in countries like Japan, Germany, and Brazil, though traditional broadcasters began scaling back commissioning amid evolving business models.
The year 2025 has so far seen clearer regional differentiation. May marked a global production peak, with the Americas and EMEA recording nearly 40% more new productions than April. EMEA also experienced a near doubling in renewals, while the Americas saw a 45% increase. APAC, although still lower in total volume, has been trending upward since July.
With content deals tracked across the entire lifecycle—development, production, post-production, and release—Vitrina’s August 2025 insights underscore a more balanced and diversified global market. Regional broadcasters are becoming more assertive, the dominance of scripted drama continues, and language diversity is expanding, all pointing to an evolving production environment that is both more competitive and more globally nuanced.
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