Media Industry Layoffs

Extracted Attributes

• Primary Causes

  Restructuring, industry consolidation, broken advertising model, COVID-era over-expansion

• Projected Recovery Year

  2026

• Annual Average Job Cuts (2010-2017)

  7,305 jobs

• Annual Average Job Cuts (2018-2025)

  14,298 jobs

• Total Jobs Lost (Video Game Industry)

  45,000 (2022 to July 2025)

• Total Jobs Lost (Media/Entertainment 2025)

  17,163 (through November 2025)

Timeline

• Start of a period (2010-2017) where the media industry averaged 7,305 job losses annually. (Source: undefined)

  2010-01-01

• Average annual media job cuts increase to 14,298 as the industry faces mounting digital pressures. (Source: undefined)

  2018-01-01

• Video game industry layoffs begin in China and Russia following a pandemic-induced growth surge. (Source: undefined)

  2022-01-01

• Media layoffs surge fivefold compared to the previous year; Disney CEO Bob Iger initiates major cost-cutting. (Source: undefined)

  2023-01-01

• Layoffs in the video game industry reach their peak level. (Source: undefined)

  2024-01-01

• CNN eliminates approximately 200 jobs as it pivots toward digital operations. (Source: undefined)

  2025-01-01

• Dentsu announces 3,400 layoffs in the media and entertainment sector. (Source: undefined)

  2025-08-01

• Paramount announces 2,000 layoffs; CBS News cuts 100 staffers and cancels streaming programs. (Source: undefined)

  2025-10-01

• NBC News lays off 150 employees; total media job cuts for 2025 reach 17,163 through this month. (Source: undefined)

  2025-11-01

• Anticipated return to industry growth, particularly in developing regions. (Source: undefined)

  2026-01-01

2022–2025 video game industry layoffs

The video game industry experienced mass layoffs in a wave which began in 2022, peaked in January 2024 and began to ease off in 2025. An estimated 45,000 jobs were lost from 2022 to July 2025. These layoffs had reverberating effects on both established and emerging games companies, impacting employees, projects, and the overall landscape of the games industry. Major job cuts took place at Embracer Group, Unity Technologies, Microsoft Gaming, Electronic Arts, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Epic Games, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Sega, and Riot Games. The layoffs caused several video games to be canceled, video game studios to be shut down or divested from their parent company, and thousands of employees to lose their jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in interest in gaming globally, and was a period of dramatic expansion in the industry, with many mergers and acquisitions conducted. In many cases companies over-expanded, as this rapid COVID-era growth was unsustainable. The industry began to slow in 2022, and amid spiralling costs and a shift in consumer habits, layoffs began. These were primarily limited to China and Russia to begin with, with the Chinese industry adversely affected by a licensing freeze and the Russian industry by the Russian invasion of Ukraine respectively. From 2023, North America and Europe were severely affected, particularly California which accounted for 50% of all layoffs. By 2025, approximately 26% of European game developers had been laid off at least once over the period, and salaries fell in a number of roles due to high competition. Unity programmers in particular saw their salaries fall by an estimated 50%. Over 30 video game development studios laid off their entire staff and shut down. Some of the most notable company closures include: Monolith Productions, Arkane Austin, The Initiative, Ready at Dawn, Volition, London Studio, Pixelopus, Riot Forge, Hypixel Studios and others. According to a report by DDM Games, the industry is currently in a "reset phase." Companies are restructuring their operations through closures, layoffs, and divestitures. The pandemic-induced growth surge has subsided, leading to a need for recalibration. AI is a concern for many developers also, though there is no indication that layoffs have been driven directly by its adoption. It may however have impacted illustrators and other professions particularly exposed to automation. FunPlus CBO Chris Petrovic expects the industry to return to growth in 2026, with that growth primarily originating in developing regions like China, Turkey and Vietnam.

Web Search Results

• Entertainment and Media Layoffs Up 18% With Over ... - TheWrap

  Challenger also noted that since the financial crisis in 2008, companies have shifted away from year-end layoff announcements. From 2010 to 2017, the media industry lost 7,305 jobs per year on average, according to Challenger’s data. Since 2018, the average number of annual job cuts has jumped to 14,298. [...] ## Main Navigation ## Search ## Follow Us ## Trending Topics: # Entertainment and Media Layoffs Up 18% With Over 17,000 Jobs Slashed in 2025 Pro Available to WrapPRO members A wave of consolidation, AI-driven change and cost-cutting pushed entertainment and media layoffs sharply higher in 2025 ## Share on Social Media After a slight dip in layoffs in 2024, the entertainment and media industry jobs suffered through another difficult year. [...] The most cited reason for layoffs was restructuring and industry consolidation, according to Challenger. This summer the FCC officially approved the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, leading to layoffs across the Paramount entertainment business. Disney laid off hundreds this year, as part of CEO Bob Iger’s 2023 initiative to cut costs amid an audience migration away from cable TV subscriptions to streaming platforms.

• Media Industry Continues Reshaping Workforce In 2025 Amid ...

  Challenger said companies have moved away from announcing layoffs at the end of the year since the 2008 financial crisis. From 2010 to 2017, the media industry lost an average of 7,305 jobs annually. Since 2018, the average has risen to 14,298 job cuts per year. [...] The entertainment and media layoffs reflect broader weakness in the labor market. Employers announced more than 71,000 job cuts in November across all industries, the second-highest monthly total in the past five years, behind only 2022, according to Andy Challenger, workplace expert and Chief Revenue Officer at Challenger, Gray & Christmas. [...] Restructuring and consolidation were the most frequently cited reasons for layoffs, Challenger reported. The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media this summer, leading to job cuts across Paramount’s entertainment operations. Disney also laid off hundreds of workers this year as part of a cost-cutting initiative launched by CEO Bob Iger in 2023 amid declining cable television subscriptions and a shift toward streaming.

• Hollywood Drops DEAD WEIGHT as Media Layoffs SKYROCKET!

  layoffs in 2024, the entertainment and media industry jobs suffered through another difficult year. In 2025, over 17,000 jobs were cut across television, film, broadcast, news, and streaming in the first 11 months of the year. This figure is up 18% from last year, continuing a trend from the past few years as the industry has wrestled with consolidation and other pressures like the double strikes. Oh my god. >> I was going to say go down to the the the chart and look. Oh, look. It started in [...] a podcast. We're going to be doing more podcasts going into 2026. Um, yeah. So, this is coming from the rap. There's actually a couple articles and they actually go together pretty well to paint a picture that's uh not looking too great. They both come out today. Um, one is that uh entertainment media layoffs were up 18%. Over 17,000 jobs in the entertainment industry slashed in 2025. >> I expect it to be higher, but I know they slashed a bunch before that. >> They said after a slight dip in [...] the uh 2022 cuts. Um, they said since the financial crisis in 2008, companies have shifted away from year-end layoff announcements. Um, the media industry has lost over 7,000 jobs per year on average from 2010 to 2017. Um, but they're like, "Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's [snorts] one industry in the entertainment business that's growing, the creator economy." Oh, no. Let's wait. [laughter] >> Let's wait and see what happens after this year because we are hearing horror stories from

• Entertainment and media industries shed 17K jobs in 2025

  US-based media companies spanning TV, film, digital publishing and broadcast announced 17,163 job cuts through November, an 18% increase from 2024, according to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Layoffs surged fivefold in 2023 compared to the prior year as companies moved aggressively to slash costs, unwind failed growth bets and prepare investors for a leaner future. Advertisement Video of Conde Nast employees confronting HR representatives. [...] The wider labor market has offered little relief, with overall US job cuts topping 1.17 million through November, up 54% from last year and marking the highest level since the pandemic, putting media layoffs within a broader climate of corporate retrenchment. Through November, US employers announced just 497,151 planned hires, down 35% from the same point in 2024 and the lowest year-to-date total since 2010, according to Challenger, signaling a tightening job market. [...] CNN eliminated about 200 jobs early in 2025 as it pivoted toward digital operations and prepared for corporate restructuring tied to its parent’s cable strategy, while CBS News laid off about 100 staffers in October and canceled multiple streaming news programs. NBC News laid off roughly 150 employees — about 7% of its workforce — as part of Comcast’s cable spinoff into Versant, with newsroom jobs affected by the separation of linear TV assets.

• Companies that announced Major Layoffs and Hiring Freezes

  Paramount No. of Employees to be Laid off: 2000 Industry: Media October 2025 Paramount will lay off around 2,000 workers across the media company.Chief Executive David Ellison said in a memo to employees that the layoffs were focused on “addressing redundancies” at the company and to accommodate its changing priorities. He wants CBS to focus on speaking to the large politically centrist audience in America. General Motors No. of Employees to be Laid off: 1,700 Industry: Automobile [...] August 2025 International Paper Co. would close two Georgia paper mills, including one that has been a cornerstone of Savannah’s economy for 90 years. The company, based in Memphis, Tennessee, said it would stop making cardboard in Savannah and Riceboro by the end of September. The company will lay off about 800 employees in Savannah and about 300 employees. Dentsu No. of Employees to be Laid off: 3,400 Industry: Media & Entertainment August 2025