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BBC IPA Creative Industries Council

Creative Industries Council launches government-backed website to promote the UK creative sector internationally

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By Sam Scott, former employee

January 17, 2014 | 3 min read

The Creative Industries Council will today launch a website positioned as a hub for the UK creative industries (UKCIs).

The new website – thecreativeindustries.co.uk – is designed to coordinate industries including design, film, TV, crafts, fashion, advertising, music and games, in a bid to ensure 2014 as 'the year of creativity'.

The launch closely follows figures published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which claim that the UKCIs are now worth more than £71bn per year to the UK economy, an equivalent of £8m per hour.

Services exported by the UKCIs in 2011 were valued at £15.5bn, an increase of 16.1 per cent since 2009, and a faster growth than that of any other sector over the same period.

Secretary of state for culture, media and sport, Maria Miller, said: "These incredible statistics are confirmation that the creative industries consistently punch well above their weight, outperforming all the other main industry sectors, and are a powerhouse within the UK economy".

The figures provide a benchmark for what council members hope will be a moment of maturity and affirmation for the sector as a whole.

Commenting on the challenge of unifying the sector, Tim Davie, BBC Worldwide chief executive said at the launch: "There is no doubt, the sector is fragmented, and creative cats are difficult to herd".

But MP Ed Vaizey claimed that the new website will prove to be both advantageous and accessible to industry stakeholders.

"This is a website for everyone. It's one portal for a very diverse, very dynamic, and hugely successful British sector, to showcase the opportunities in this fantastic marketplace".

Janet Hull OBE, the IPA’s director of marketing, told The Drum: "The purpose of the website is to attract business from developing markets to come to the UK, it's about shouting loud about our credentials. It's geared towards export and inward investment. We're saying to India, Brazil, and the UAE: 'come to the UK and we'll help make your brand international'."

The Creative Industries Council predicts that the UK will become the global creative services hub by 2025, with the website strategically positioned to promote the UK as a prime destination for international investors.

BBC IPA Creative Industries Council

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