UK Top 50 2025: What the rankings reveal about brand film

Each year, as we power up the Data Suite and begin sifting through the mountain of information we’ve collected, the same fruitful cause-and-effect relationship tends to tumble out: the more data we gather, the more those data points start telling different stories.

Often, by the time we reach the drafting stage, we discover that one story helpfully overlaps with another — or that one underlaps, prompting the search for the next. The last 12 months have been particularly rich in that regard, as new technologies, economic pressures and international growth reshaped the production landscape.

It’s no secret that 2024 was a tough year for the brand and corporate film production community. But even in that context this year’s report, compiled from over 60 data points per company, reflects a sector that weathered volatility through resilience, reinvention and, in some cases, remarkable growth.

While you don’t need a spreadsheet to know you’re being squeezed, the numbers help explain why and where to look next. That’s where the UK Top 50 breaks down some of the big challenges behind into smaller, more navigable ones ahead.

As award tallies, peer poll mentions and project counts collided with revenue and export figures, the picture that emerged was not one of a crumbling sector, but of a recalibrating one. So, what does the latest report tell us?

Revenue wobbled, but video held its ground

It was a tough year. 54% of producers reported a drop in revenue, at an average decline of 19%. Profits were down 40.7% overall. And yet, video-specific income within full-service agencies grew 5.4%, with overseas sales up a striking 33.5%. That growth helped offset the dip in non-video services, making video the standout performer in many agencies’ portfolios. In short: the sector bent, but didn’t break.

International work is becoming the norm

43 of the Top 50 worked with overseas clients in the last year — a remarkable stat for an industry mostly made up of small to mid-sized producers. From Saudi Arabia to New York, the export potential of UK brand film is no longer a nice extra. It is core to a growth strategy. Casual Films, who topped the list for the third year in a row, are a case in point — blending global reach with creative consistency.

Social-first content is reshaping production models

Clients continue to prioritise authenticity, speed, and format flexibility. That means short-form verticals, behind-the-scenes cuts, and multi-deliverable shoots are now the rule, not the exception. Big Button, BearJam, and Nowadays — all of whom are Top 50 risers — exemplify this shift, with strong output in social-first storytelling and high-agility campaign delivery.

AI is changing the back end, not the front end (yet)

AI was everywhere in this year’s survey responses, not as gimmick but as a production tool. Companies are using it for storyboarding, visualisation, and post-production streamlining, but client-facing AI content is still rare, for now. Concerns around authenticity and creative quality mean it’s staying behind the curtain.

New names, familiar faces

Only four new entrants joined the list this year — down from 17 in the previous edition — suggesting a more settled playing field. Among the newcomers: Auspicious Group, Nicely Done, Limehouse, and STORM+SHELTER, all of whom made immediate impressions with standout creative, clever strategy, or both. Meanwhile, veterans like DRPG, The Edge, and RD Content continue to show why they’re mainstays — adapting, expanding, and competing at the highest level.

Better, together

This production community has become the main character in some archetypal stories of its own over the last 12 months. Some have knuckled down just to stay standing; others have pushed back against closing walls with bold expansion. What’s clear is that the sector as a whole has rallied around each other’s works and successes, as it so often does in times like these.

That’s part of why the Peer Poll has continued to grow, with 26 different producers mentioned this year, up from just 11 in 2022. Producers aren’t just competing — they’re recognising each other’s craft, championing strong work, and forming what looks more and more like a self-sustaining creative community.

Whether you’re benchmarking your business or looking for collaborators, the UK Top 50 offers a snapshot of a sector that’s evolving fast — but still grounded in the fundamentals: great storytelling, strong relationships, and results that matter.

You can download the full PDF report here for rankings, producer profiles, and the key numbers behind the narratives. For the interactive online report, click here.

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