While New York City's nearly 150,000 media professionals make up less than 4% of its total workforce, this creative powerhouse punches far above its weight, generating billions in economic impact and shaping what the world watches, reads, and streams every single day.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, New York City's media industry employed 143,200 full-time workers, representing 3.8% of the city's total employment
- The average annual wage in NYC's media sector was $128,450 in 2022, 78% higher than the citywide average
- NYC's film and TV production workforce grew by 12% from 2019 to 2023, adding 5,200 jobs
- NYC media industry generated $28.5 billion in economic output in 2022, supporting 1 in 25 jobs citywide
- Media sector contributed $7.2 billion in wages to NYC economy in 2023
- NYC's film and TV production spending reached $3.1 billion in 2023
- NYC's total ad spend reached $42.3 billion in 2023, up 9% from 2022
- Digital advertising in NYC accounted for 68% of total ad spend at $28.8 billion in 2023
- TV advertising expenditures in NYC totaled $8.2 billion in 2022
- NYC produced 1,250 feature films and TV episodes in 2023 under tax credits
- NYC TV series production hours totaled 2,800 in 2022
- Commercial shoots in NYC numbered 18,500 in 2023, generating 450,000 shoot days
- NYC's digital media users reached 8.7 million monthly active in 2023
- Streaming video consumption in NYC averaged 25 hours/week per household in 2023
- NYC social media penetration was 92% of adults in 2022
NYC's media industry is large, well-paid, and thriving, driving major economic output for the city.
Advertising
- NYC's total ad spend reached $42.3 billion in 2023, up 9% from 2022
- Digital advertising in NYC accounted for 68% of total ad spend at $28.8 billion in 2023
- TV advertising expenditures in NYC totaled $8.2 billion in 2022
- Out-of-home (OOH) ad spend in NYC was $1.1 billion in 2023
- Programmatic ad buying in NYC media firms hit $15.6 billion in 2023
- Social media ad spend by NYC brands reached $9.4 billion in 2022
- Print advertising revenues in NYC declined to $1.2 billion in 2023
- Influencer marketing spend in NYC totaled $2.3 billion in 2023
- Connected TV (CTV) ad spend in NYC grew 32% to $3.7 billion in 2023
- NYC agencies managed 45% of US national ad buys worth $18 billion in 2022
- Retail media networks ad spend in NYC hit $1.5 billion in 2023
- Audio advertising (radio/podcast) in NYC was $850 million in 2022
- DOOH (digital OOH) ad growth in NYC was 22% to $650 million in 2023
- Native advertising spend by NYC publishers reached $1.8 billion in 2023
- Search advertising in NYC markets totaled $7.9 billion in 2022
- Video ad spend on YouTube in NYC brands was $2.1 billion in 2023
- NYC ad fraud losses estimated at $1.2 billion in 2023
- Email marketing ad spend in NYC B2B media was $450 million in 2022
Advertising Interpretation
New York's advertising industry is so aggressively digital that the $1.2 billion still spent on print feels less like a budget line and more like a solemn, increasingly expensive tribute to nostalgia.
Digital Media
- NYC's digital media users reached 8.7 million monthly active in 2023
- Streaming video consumption in NYC averaged 25 hours/week per household in 2023
- NYC social media penetration was 92% of adults in 2022
- Mobile app downloads for NYC media apps hit 12 million in 2023
- NYC's OTT subscribers totaled 6.2 million for Netflix/Disney+ etc. in 2023
- Podcast listeners in NYC averaged 14 hours/month per person in 2023
- NYC's internet speed average for media streaming was 250 Mbps in 2023
- Social video views from NYC content: 2.5 billion monthly in 2022
- NYC digital news readership grew 18% to 7.1 million daily uniques in 2023
- Blockchain/NFT media projects in NYC numbered 450 active in 2023
- AI-generated content usage in NYC media rose to 35% of workflows in 2023
- NYC VR/AR media experiences downloaded 1.8 million times in 2022
- Metaverse events hosted by NYC media firms: 120 in 2023
- NYC's 5G coverage for media production reached 95% in 2023
- Short-form platforms like TikTok had 4.5 million NYC creators in 2023
- Cloud media storage usage in NYC firms: 10 petabytes monthly in 2022
- NYC e-sports streaming audience averaged 1.2 million viewers/event in 2023
- Personalized ad tech platforms served 500 million impressions daily in NYC 2023
- NYC media cybersecurity incidents reported: 2,800 in 2022
Digital Media Interpretation
New Yorkers have so triumphantly colonized the digital realm from their living room streaming thrones that the media industry's greatest challenge is now defending this sprawling, 8.7-million-person empire from its 2,800 annual cyberattacks.
Economic Impact
- NYC media industry generated $28.5 billion in economic output in 2022, supporting 1 in 25 jobs citywide
- Media sector contributed $7.2 billion in wages to NYC economy in 2023
- NYC's film and TV production spending reached $3.1 billion in 2023
- Advertising industry in NYC generated $15.4 billion in revenue in 2022
- Publishing revenues in NYC totaled $6.8 billion in 2023
- Digital media firms in NYC contributed $4.2 billion to GDP in 2022
- NYC media taxes paid amounted to $1.9 billion in 2023
- Broadcast media economic impact in NYC was $2.5 billion in 2022
- NYC content production multiplier effect created $9.8 billion indirect impact in 2023
- Media tech investments in NYC reached $1.2 billion in 2023 VC funding
- NYC media exports (content licensing) generated $800 million in 2022
- Podcast industry in NYC added $450 million to economy in 2023
- NYC media R&D spending was $650 million in 2022
- Multiplier effect of NYC media jobs supported 72,000 indirect positions in 2023
- NYC advertising agencies paid $4.1 billion in local taxes in 2022
- Film post-production spending in NYC was $750 million in 2023
- NYC media tourism (set visits) generated $300 million in 2022
- Streaming platforms' NYC operations contributed $1.8 billion in 2023
Economic Impact Interpretation
While the city that never sleeps might be powered by coffee, it's clearly financed by the relentless production of stories, ads, and streaming content that together generate billions, fund the government, and employ a small army of New Yorkers.
Employment
- In 2023, New York City's media industry employed 143,200 full-time workers, representing 3.8% of the city's total employment
- The average annual wage in NYC's media sector was $128,450 in 2022, 78% higher than the citywide average
- NYC's film and TV production workforce grew by 12% from 2019 to 2023, adding 5,200 jobs
- Advertising and marketing firms in NYC employed 85,000 professionals in 2023
- Publishing industry jobs in NYC totaled 42,500 in 2022, with a 2.5% decline year-over-year
- Digital media companies in NYC hired 28,000 new employees in 2023 amid tech-media convergence
- NYC's media sector saw a 15% increase in freelance journalists from 2020 to 2023, totaling 18,000
- Broadcast media employment in NYC stood at 12,400 in 2022
- NYC's content creation agencies employed 22,000 creatives in 2023, up 8% from 2021
- Media tech startups in NYC added 3,500 jobs in 2023
- Women comprised 48% of NYC media workforce in 2023, up from 44% in 2019
- NYC media industry had 9,200 executive positions in 2022
- Unionized media workers in NYC numbered 35,000 in 2023
- NYC's podcast production staff reached 4,500 in 2023, growing 25% since 2020
- Entry-level media jobs in NYC totaled 15,000 in 2022
- NYC media sector's labor productivity was $450,000 per worker in 2022
- Diverse workforce (BIPOC) in NYC media rose to 42% in 2023
- NYC TV newsrooms employed 2,800 journalists in 2023
- Graphic design roles in NYC media hit 11,200 in 2022
- NYC's social media managers numbered 7,500 in 2023
Employment Interpretation
While New York's media giants continue to write the city's economic story with high wages and booming digital jobs, the plot twist of declining publishing roles and rising freelance ranks reveals a narrative where stability is being quietly edited out of the script.
Production
- NYC produced 1,250 feature films and TV episodes in 2023 under tax credits
- NYC TV series production hours totaled 2,800 in 2022
- Commercial shoots in NYC numbered 18,500 in 2023, generating 450,000 shoot days
- NYC publishing output included 4,200 new book titles in 2022
- Digital content uploads from NYC creators hit 150 million videos in 2023
- NYC podcast episodes produced annually reached 1.2 million in 2023
- Film permits issued in NYC totaled 12,000 in 2022
- NYC news articles published daily average 250,000 across outlets in 2023
- Reality TV production in NYC generated 650 hours of content in 2023
- NYC animation studios produced 120 minutes of content weekly in 2022
- Magazine issues printed in NYC totaled 1,800 annually in 2023
- User-generated content from NYC influencers averaged 50 million posts/month in 2023
- NYC live event recordings for media reached 2,500 events in 2022
- Short-form video production in NYC hit 75 million clips in 2023
- Documentary films premiered from NYC totaled 350 in 2022 IDFA/Sundance affiliates
- NYC streaming originals produced 180 titles in 2023
- Ad creative production in NYC agencies: 45,000 campaigns annually in 2023
Production Interpretation
Even amidst our collective doomscroll, New York’s media machine churns out a staggering, city-sized avalanche of stories—from prestige films to a ceaseless tide of tweets—proving we’re still the world’s most relentless content factory, for better or for ‘upload’.
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