11. From Port to Portal
MediaCity
From the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show in 1887, to people filling MediaCity’s piazza, Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry today, Salford Quays has always drawn visitors from near and far.
Photograph: Panoramic view of Salford Quays with MediaCity on the left and the Lowry on the right.
Today, this former site of Salford Docks is a thriving global media hub for the digital and creative industries.
The Third Industrial Revolution has brought about a shift from mechanical and analogue technology to digital. This has helped pave the way for MediaCity and a new digital era at Salford Quays.
MediaCity is now one of the world’s leading media and tech hubs with ambitious plans for the future. The hub is home to 250 creative, digital and technology businesses from designers, producers, content creators and filmmakers to television production companies, tech innovators and the next generation of creative talent.
In 2020, MediaCity was named as the first Wired Certified Neighbourhood in Europe in recognition of its high standard of digital connectivity.
Photograph: MediaCity and BBC building with the MediaCity footbridge left.
The BBC calls MediaCity home and makes a wide range of programmes from here including Blue Peter, Mastermind and Match of the Day.
In 2013, ITV started its move to MediaCity, filming Coronation Street from a state-of-the-art production centre next to the Imperial War Museum North.
The University of Salford is also here, with a campus of over 1,500 students and staff developing the next generation of creators, media and tech innovators.
Photograph: MediaCity was designed to provide a purpose-built home for creative and digital businesses.
Talking Sunrises, Sunsets and Celebrity Guests with BBC Breakfast, Broadcast Journalist Daisy Herman
“Every day is different at BBC Breakfast – one day I could be chatting to a celebrity about a new show and the next I could be finding the best pictures for a breaking news story.”
Photograph: Daisy Herman, Broadcast Journalist at BBC Breakfast.
Taking in the Buzz of MediaCity with 5 Live Sport, BBC Journalist Grace Mailey
“It was ideal to have industry professionals right on our doorstep and it gave us something to focus our dreams on.”
Photograph: Grace Mailey, 5 Live Sport, BBC Journalist.
Over the next decade, a £1bn investment will see MediaCity continue to grow, doubling the current footprint and creating more workspaces, new media infrastructure, homes and public spaces.
