Bectu warns Paramount‑Warner merger will deepen UK creative job crisis

TL;DR: Bectu warns the Paramount‑Warner merger will worsen job insecurity for UK screen workers, with 39.5% currently out of work and nearly one‑third planning to leave the industry.

The UK film and TV union has written to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, urging government intervention before the $110 billion Paramount‑Warner deal receives regulatory approval. Bectu argues the merger will concentrate decision‑making, shrink bargaining power and reduce opportunities for a workforce already under strain.

A recent Bectu survey of more than 500 screen professionals found 39.5% were not working at the time of the poll, only a slight improvement on earlier figures that showed roughly 43% unemployment across the sector. The same poll revealed that almost 33% of creative workers expect to leave the industry within five years, signalling a potential loss of skills and experience.

Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, said the timing is “exactly the wrong moment for a film industry workforce already facing prolonged insecurity and prolonged periods out of work.” She warned that further consolidation would “reduce opportunities, weaken bargaining power, and concentrate decisions about jobs and investment even further from the people whose livelihoods depend on them.”

Bectu’s concerns extend beyond immediate job loss. The union submitted evidence to the Competition and Markets Authority, claiming the merger could narrow commissioning, cut the number of films shown in UK cinemas and undermine freelance workers who bear the brunt of cancelled projects and shorter production cycles.

Regulators in the UK, EU and US must still sign off on the deal. The CMA, the European Commission and the US Department of Justice will assess competition and market impact, but Bectu says past reviews have ignored the freelance nature of the creative sector.

If the merger proceeds without safeguards, the union predicts a deeper concentration of media ownership, fewer production slots and a weakened collective voice for workers negotiating contracts and safety standards.

Watch for the CMA’s final decision and any government measures aimed at protecting freelance creatives as the merger moves through the approval process.