Italy's Audiovisual Sector Hits €16.8B as Content Investment Falls 7.4%

Italy's audiovisual sector generated €16.8 billion ($18.9 billion) in 2025, up 3.1% year on year, according to APA's eighth Report on National Audiovisual Production, presented at the MIA Market at Rome's Palazzo Barberini, Deadline reported.

The growth came alongside a contraction in spending on production: inward investment in cinema, TV and on-demand content fell 7.4% to €2 billion, the first decline since 2018. Scripted TV and streaming productions dropped by €122 million, with fiction production at €740 million, down 5.5%. Original scripted productions nonetheless rose 9% to 101 titles, with 27 from streamers and 74 from linear broadcasters.

Employment in the sector rose 3.3% to 128,336 people. Free streaming services grew 15% and subscription platforms 10.3%, and online video now accounts for 43% of the market — up from 20% in 2020. Streamers increased their content by 51%, with total hours up 30% and factual viewing hours up 36%. Unscripted shows make up 59% of independent productions.

Rai dramas and vertical series

On the viewing side, Lux Vide's Sandokan and BiBiFilm's La Preside, both for Rai, each averaged more than 4.6 million viewers. Picomedia's Mare Fuori passed 2.1 billion minutes viewed and Aurora TV's Il Paradiso delle Signore reached 2 billion minutes, while Netflix's Il Mostro drew 9.7 million global views in its first week.

Short-form drama is also registering in Italy: ReelShort, DramaBox, NetShort and DramaWave rank among the country's top 15 entertainment apps by consumer spending. The first original Italian microdrama, Tutto in una Notte from Fascino PGT, has been released with 54 episodes via WittyTV and social media, against a global vertical storytelling market worth €14 billion.