Italia Creativa Report 2017: Same Methodology, Updated Numbers

The second Italia Creativa report, commissioned by the Italian Ministry of Culture and SIAE to Ernst & Young, was released in January 2017 at the Triennale di Milano. The report updates data to 2015 but uses the same methodology as the 2016 edition, with only one change: TV and Cinema are now merged into a single audiovisual sector. Critics from Artribune point out that the report relies on a pre-set grid of indicators, merely updating numbers without methodological improvement. The report adopts the term 'value gap' from SIAE's own study by Roland Berger (November 2015), defined as the economic benefit from cultural content not recognized to its producers, attributed to technical intermediaries like Google and YouTube. Artribune questions the reductionist approach of measuring economic impact solely through economic value and employment numbers, and the arbitrary choice to represent indirect economies of the art sector only through 'Sale of Photographic Equipment' and 'Sale of Drawing Materials'. Positive notes include growth statistics and a box on museums using Twitter. The report also praises the recent Cinema Bill and dedicates two pages to piracy, adding to 15 pages of preface. The impression is that the merger of cinema and audiovisual serves the client's interests, despite their different production chains.