Creative and technology

Salford is home to MediaCity, Europe’s largest purpose-built digital hub, featuring world-class studios and post-production facilities alongside major broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV.

The city boasts a thriving creative and technology sector, with more than 2,000 businesses choosing Salford as their base, making it one of the UK's leading destinations for employers in these industries.

The creative, digital and media sub-sectors now support 835 businesses and more than 11,000 jobs across the city, with specialist areas in broadcasting and related fields, alongside Film, TV, Video and Radio.

Around Salford Quays and MediaCity, industry leading companies, sit alongside SME’s and specialist digital and consultancy businesses. A skills pipeline for the sector is provided by institutions including The University of Salford and Salford City College and our ambition is not simply to bring more creative businesses into Salford, but to build the skills, career pathways and enterprise support to allow local people and independent creators to benefit.

The sector is experiencing tremendous growth, with a 50% increase in jobs since 2019. This is set to continue with MediaCity expanding further with additional space, helping to accommodate the industries of the future.

Salford has also been named one of the UK’s most AI ready cities, confirming its potential to leverage significant economic growth in this area.

MediaCity acted as the nerve centre for the BBC's FIFA World Cup coverage, delivering more than 120 hours of live broadcasting. Content produced here reached 42.8 million television viewers and generated 237 million streams across BBC platforms, showcasing cutting-edge virtual production capabilities to a global audience.

Read more about the sector and some of the businesses based here.