From ambition to execution

The Government of Bangladesh's decision to place the creative economy among its emerging economic priorities is a significant and welcome development. The national budget outlines an ambitious vision encompassing creative hubs, production facilities, international promotion, digital creators and the "Created in Bangladesh" initiative. The objective is clear: to transform creativity, culture and content into drivers of growth, employment, exports and investment.

Around the world, governments increasingly recognise that intellectual property, media, entertainment, design and digital content can become important contributors to economic growth. The more important question is how such ambitions are translated into sustainable economic outcomes.

A common feature of successful creative economies is that they recognise creativity not only as a cultural asset, but also as an economic sector capable of generating long-term value. Several lessons emerge that may be relevant as Bangladesh moves from policy announcement to implementation.

South Korea is perhaps the most cited modern success story. Today, its content and cultural industries support more than 650,000 jobs and generate over US$15 billion in exports annually. Yet this success was not built overnight. The foundations were laid over more than two decades through sustained investment in talent development, production capabilities, export promotion and international distribution. The global success of K-pop and Korean television dramas is often viewed as a cultural phenomenon. In reality, it reflects the deliberate development of an ecosystem that connected creators, investors, distributors and international markets. The lesson from Korea is not simply that creative industries can succeed, but success requires long-term commitment and patience. Creative economies are built over decades, not budget cycles.

A recurring theme is the importance of talent development. Creative industries depend on a continuous pipeline of writers, producers, designers, technicians, performers and digital creators. Countries that have successfully scaled their creative sectors have typically invested not only in infrastructure, but also in education, training and professional development to ensure that creative talent can compete in both domestic and international markets.

The United Kingdom offers an equally important lesson. Britain's creative industries have become one of the country's most valuable economic sectors, contributing more than £100 billion annually and supporting millions of jobs. This success has been underpinned by strong intellectual property protections, predictable regulation, specialised financing and export support. The UK experience demonstrates that intellectual property is not merely a legal concept. It is economic infrastructure. Investors are more willing to finance creative projects when ownership rights are clear, contracts are enforceable and commercial returns can be realised. Creative industries flourish when creators and businesses can confidently invest in the future.

India provides another perspective that may be particularly relevant. As one of the world's largest producers of films and entertainment content, India demonstrates that audience scale alone does not guarantee economic success. For many years, widespread piracy, fragmented distribution and weak monetisation limited the industry's ability to capture the full value of its content. The growth of digital platforms, subscription services and more formal rights management systems has helped improve commercial outcomes. India's experience highlights an important reality that large audiences do not automatically create a thriving creative economy. Protecting intellectual property and reducing piracy are equally important, as sustainable revenues are essential to supporting future investment, innovation and content creation.

Turkey offers another instructive example. Turkish television dramas have evolved from a domestic entertainment product into a major export industry reaching audiences across multiple continents. Beyond direct revenues, these productions have strengthened tourism, international branding and cultural influence. The Turkish experience demonstrates how successful content industries can create economic benefits far beyond the screen itself.

What many of these examples have in common is that they create connections between industries rather than treating them as isolated sectors. Korean entertainment supports tourism, consumer brands and exports. British film and television contribute to tourism, international branding and global visibility. Indian cinema and Turkish dramas have become powerful platforms for promoting culture, destinations and consumer products.

This broader ecosystem perspective may be particularly relevant for Bangladesh. The country's strategy spans film, television, music, sports, digital creators, tourism and national branding. The real opportunity lies in creating synergies between them. A successful television drama can promote tourism, digital creators can help build international awareness of Bangladeshi products and culture, and sporting events can support media, hospitality and advertising industries.

A consistent pattern is that export success is usually built on strong domestic foundations. South Korean entertainment, Turkish dramas, British media and Indian cinema all established sustainable domestic industries before expanding internationally. Global audiences often follow local success rather than precede it. For Bangladesh, this suggests that efforts to build international reach and creative exports should be accompanied by measures that strengthen the domestic creative ecosystem, enabling creators and businesses to develop commercially sustainable models at home before scaling abroad.

Access to financing is another recurring characteristic of successful creative economies. While Bangladesh's strategy rightly focuses on infrastructure, promotion and creator development, creative industries often require specialised funding mechanisms that recognise intellectual property and future royalty streams as economic assets. Given the significant upfront costs, long development cycles and uncertain returns that characterise many creative ventures, access to capital can be a critical constraint on growth. As Bangladesh's creative economy evolves, ensuring that financing, taxation and industrial policies are aligned with the objective of encouraging investment and growth will be critical to attracting private investment and scaling the sector.

Bangladesh has established an ambitious vision for its creative economy. The next challenge is execution. Sustainable creative sectors are typically built on five foundations: talent, intellectual property, financing, distribution and market access. If these elements can be successfully combined, creativity can evolve from a cultural asset into a significant driver of growth, employment, exports and international competitiveness.

Tariq Alam is a strategic consultant across technology, media and infrastructure industries.