Analysts from the international media network have compared market indicators across the member states and identified the key characteristics of the creative economy’s development in the BRICS countries

The study, “Creative Industries of BRICS Countries”, examines national approaches to defining sectors of the creative economy. Analysts analysed available statistical data and government support measures and identified promising areas for cooperation.

The study included data on Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.

The creative industries encompass activities in which economic value is generated through creative ideas, knowledge and intellectual property. However, there is no single approach to defining the sector across the BRICS countries. National methodologies cover different areas: for example, in Indonesia, the creative industries include the culinary arts, while some studies in South Africa consider culture alongside sport.

These differences affect the statistics and the ability to compare national markets. The authors therefore propose taking these methodological differences into account and analysing not only general indicators but also specific areas of the sector’s development. This is the subject of the first chapter of the study, “Creative Industries in the BRICS Countries: Introduction“.

The chapter “Creative Industries in the BRICS Countries: Available Statistics“ compiles sectoral indicators for the six countries. The data reflect various aspects of the sector’s development – from its contribution to the economy and employment to trends in revenue and foreign trade.

For instance, in Russia, the creative industries account for 4.2 per cent of GDP, while in Brazil the figure is 3.59 per cent. In Indonesia, this sector accounts for 18.7 per cent of total employment. In India, the media and entertainment market grew by 9 per cent, while in China, revenue in this sector rose by 4.6 per cent. For South Africa, the study presents data on foreign trade in cultural goods.

These indicators characterise different aspects of the sector and cannot always be directly compared. Nevertheless, they help to identify common challenges for the BRICS countries: expanding opportunities for content creators and producers in the digital environment, improving the economic efficiency of enterprises, and developing creative businesses outside the major cities.

A separate chapter, “A Brief Overview of BRICS Creative Industries by Parameters Not Included in Comparative Studies“, is devoted to instruments for supporting the sector. These include training programmes for specialists, platforms for promoting craft products, compensation for film production costs, and intergovernmental cooperation agreements.

As the authors note, it is important to assess the effectiveness of such measures based on practical outcomes: the emergence of joint projects, the training of specialists, and the expansion of opportunities for content production and distribution. The study examines two specialist training programmes provided for under the agreement between China and Ethiopia, as well as a memorandum of cooperation in the cultural sphere between Egypt and the UAE.

Among the promising areas for cooperation between BRICS countries, analysts highlight the exchange of professional expertise, joint content production, the protection of intellectual property rights, the adaptation of materials for national audiences, and the development of distribution channels for creative industries’ output. Thus, the potential for cooperation lies not so much in finding a single indicator applicable to all countries but rather in taking national specificities into account and exchanging practices that may be useful to partners.

The study continues TV BRICS’ series of analytical reports dedicated to key markets in BRICS countries and the Global South.

Previously, the media network published reports entitled “Singapore: The Fintech Landscape” and “Brazil: The Fintech Landscape”, which examine trends in the development of the fintech market in these countries, the characteristics of government regulation and the conditions for the implementation of digital payment solutions.

TV BRICS’ series of analytical studies aims to pool expert knowledge and research experience from the BRICS+ countries and to foster the exchange of information on key markets and economic sectors.

African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS