ABSTRACT

This chapter analyses the audiovisual cluster in the Rotterdam urban region. It is generally recognised that audiovisual production is a growth sector: the European Union recently reported that the audiovisual industry has a great potential for growth and job creation The chapter explores the economic structure of the Rotterdam region and describes the different elements of the media cluster in Rotterdam, comprising media firms/institutes, education and the 'demand side'. Rotterdam is situated in the southern part of the province of South Holland, and is a part of Randstad. It is the second largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam. The scale of the audiovisual sector in the Rijnmond region is too small to support specialised services. In particular the number and scale of facility suppliers is very restricted. The demand side of the audiovisual cluster of Rotterdam can be subdivided in several categories. The most important are broadcasters, large firms/ organisations and government agencies.