• TAM, SAM, and SOM of the global and United States Documentary Film Industry including a segment focused on the value of the documentary feature film market.
• Market growth specifically focused on audience growth trends and why.
• Industry trends relating to private investment in the documentary film industry
• The number of documentaries funded by private investment in 2020 and the 2021 forecast.
• The number of feature-length documentaries produced in 2019, 2020, and the 2021 forecast.
• The number of United States feature-length documentaries that are in need of investment this year or the number from 2019-2021.
• The number of accredited investors in the United States.
• The average budget for a feature-length documentary.
• The average deal amount for documentaries sold from 2015-2021 year-over-year.
• Any major funding or acquisitions among potential competitors (competitors like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, GoFundMe, Seed & Spark, Slated.com, and Seedr).
• Expert opinions regarding business potential for private investment firms dedicated to feature-length documentaries. (i.e. from Gartner, Forrester, etc.)
• Any recent changes in legislation that makes private investment or accredited investment processes easier or more accessible.

Data Availability

Global Documentary Film Market Overview

• In 2019, the estimated box office sales of documentary films globally amounted to $329.94 Million USD.
• In 2020, the estimated box office sales of documentary films globally amounted to $24 Million USD.
• In 2020, documentary film accounted for 0.2% of global box office ticket sales down from 0.78% in 2019.
• The total global box office ticket sales in 2020 were valued at $12 Billion USD down from $42.3 Billion USD in 2019.
• Calculations:
• 2019: 42.3 billion*0.0078= $329.94 Million
• 2020: 12 billion*0.002= $24 Million
• Regional Market Share:
• North America: 34% 
• Europe: 24% 
• Asia Pacific: 18% 
• South America: 14% 
• MEA: 10% 
• According to Market Watch, the industry is "anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, 2021 to 2026. In 2021, the market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players"
• Key Players:
•  Show Box  
•  Sony Pictures  
•  Warner Bros  
•  Magnolia Pictures  
•  Revolution Films  
•  Samuel Goldwyn Films  
•  Structure Films  
•  Universal Pictures  
•  Miramax  
•  Spanner Films  
•  Spark Media  
•  Skylight Pictures  
•  Smith and Nasht  
•  Artisan Entertainment  
•  Siskel/Jacobs Productions  
•  October Films  
•  Scrappers Film Group  
•  Shark Island Productions  
•  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios  
•  Walt Disney 

Summary

• In our initial hour, we conducted preliminary research on the global TAM for the documentary film industry provided above. While most reports providing calculated market sizes are paywalled, we were able to determine that there is enough information available regarding both global and United States markets to triangulate the data through in-house calculations. In addition, we analyzed the data availability of additional research paths including trends, competitor analysis, and private investment in the industry in order to provide an accurate time estimate for each research path provided below. Finally, we created a custom Google spreadsheet in order to organize quantitative data that will demonstrate current investment trends based on statistics in the industry which have been detailed in proposal three below.