New York is rapidly narrowing the gap with California as the nation’s leading destination for film and television production spending, according to a quarterly snapshot from ProdPro reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter.
California still holds the top spot, with production companies spending nearly $1.76 billion in the state. But New York posted $1.61 billion in spending over the same period, putting it within striking distance of the longtime industry leader.
The pace of growth tells the bigger story. California’s production spending rose just 17%, while New York’s jumped 87%, according to the ProdPro data.
“California’s production spending is starting to rise again, but New York’s rebound has accelerated this year, putting it within reach of the country’s largest production hub,” ProdPro co-founder and CEO Alex LoVerde told The Hollywood Reporter.
LoVerde said his team expected New York might actually come out on top once the figures were compiled. He called it “a key question” whether New York can overtake California in the fourth quarter of this year and into 2027.
A Trend Years in the Making
The shift isn’t sudden. In July, ProdPro’s second-quarter data showed California leading with $1.33 billion in spending, up 5% year over year, while New York had risen 57% to nearly $1.06 billion.
California continues to lose long-running scripted series to other markets, while New York has increasingly become the preferred home for multi-season productions. Shows filming in New York this season include “CIA,” “FBI,” CBS’s “Elsbeth,” NBC’s “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins,” and the long-running “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: SVU.”
New York City itself has been busy with film crews this October, hosting Apple TV’s Ben Stiller comedy “Protective Custody,” A24’s romantic drama “Deep Cuts,” and the Kit Connor true-crime film “PREPPY,” among other projects, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Infrastructure Driving the Shift
Industry observers point to New York’s expanding soundstage capacity, a deep pool of union crew labor, and proximity to filming locations throughout the Tri-State area as key factors behind the growth.
A June 2026 report from real estate firm CBRE found that soundstage inventory across the New York Tri-State region has grown 43% since 2020. The opening of Sunset Pier 94 Studios in Manhattan earlier this year added new, purpose-built soundstages within the city itself.
Major media companies are also making long-term commitments just across the Hudson River. Netflix is building an East Coast production hub at the former Fort Monmouth site in New Jersey, and Paramount has signed a 10-year lease to anchor the in-development 1888 Studios in Bayonne, New Jersey.
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