Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition

COURSE OVERVIEW

Connecting great stories to their audiences.

Welcome to a trailblazing, Industry-focused MA, supported by the UK Cinema Association. Developed in direct consultation with Industry and delivered by professionals working across film, television and games, the course offers practical insight into connecting audiences with content.

You’ll graduate with a competitive edge through real-world experience, networking and professional opportunities.

In partnership with UKCA

"The course has given me the confidence to know what I’m talking about and the knowledge of how the processes work. I have also found myself working with people I have met along the course, such as industry speakers. The networking was fantastic and an absolute godsend."

Briony Tanner

NFTS graduate

"The course is uniquely designed to give you that extra step into the industry, giving you a strong foundation of how it works and a network to utilise post graduation."

Louise Giadom

Course graduate

Programme Specification Full Course Outline

This course will cover everything from:

How films make it into cinemas or how games make it to consoles
How television shows are commissioned
How international deals are made in the film, television and games sectors
What goes on behind the scenes of the red carpet
How trailers and national marketing campaigns are created and executed
Meeting and engaging with people, learning what makes them tick, and what influences their content choices
Working in roles such as marketing, publicity, social media, distribution or publishing strategy, international sales, acquisitions, commissioning, product management and programming.

There is also an opportunity for you to visit the European Film Market, part of the Berlin Film Festival, giving you the opportunity to experience the international industry up close, and potentially undertake a short work placement or shadowing experience to enhance your professional networks and deepen your understanding of the international marketplace.

You will graduate from the Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA with:

An in-depth understanding of how the industry works, from major studios to independent models; how the past has shaped it today; and how current developments and new technologies might impact its future.
Skills, knowledge, and attributes together with a global perspective that will enable you to navigate the film, television and games sectors with ease and confidence.
Highly valuable, sought after experience on your CV. This includes work experience and placement opportunities, practical experience and collaborations and access to a range of industry-only events.
Insights and learnings from the best in the business - their mistakes, as well as their successes. The course regularly has speakers from Disney, Netflix, Altitude, Steam, Fireshine, Fremantle, ITV, We Are Parable, Gower Street Analytics, Channel 4 and NBC Universal.
Unparalleled industry connections and an extensive and supportive alumni network.
A personal employability plan, including clear goals of the roles and areas of the industry best suited for your personal career path.

The course boasts an impressive employment rate and graduates of the course have gone on to work at renowned companies including NBC Universal, Amazon MGM, Fireshine Games, All3Media, Fremantle, ITV Studios, Black Bear, Studio Canal, DDA Publicity, Picturehouse Cinemas and the Everyman Cinema Group. Course alumni are working as marketing executives, distribution coordinators, acquisitions and sales managers, PR specialists, and audience development strategists. Many have gone on to lead campaigns and divisions at major international companies.

Delivered full-time, the course is an intensive programme with taught sessions and tutorials scheduled on three days per week, with dedicated time for personal study and project development. Time is built into the structure of the course for students to undertake part time, industry relevant work experience.

The course covers film, television and games, and you will graduate with a strong understanding of all three sectors, however there are many opportunities to specialise throughout. Students will study 5 modules through a combination of lectures, workshops, case studies, field trips and practical work, supported by regular tutorials and feedback, with each module culminating in a piece of assessed work.

Module 1: Building the Foundations: How Stories Reach Audiences

This foundation module introduces students to the world of marketing, distribution, sales and exhibition for screen content. You’ll gain a panoramic view of how stories move from creators to audiences - exploring the strategic, commercial and creative touchpoints along the way.

Module 2: Exploring the Global Perspective: Markets, Data & Strategy

This module takes you beyond local audiences to explore how stories travel around the world and how culture, data and strategy shape that journey and guide creative and commercial decisions. You’ll learn how films, television and games are sold, distributed and marketed internationally, and what it means to position creative work for audiences with different expectations, languages and habits.

Module 3: From Concept to Console: A Real Life Collaboration

As part of this module, you’ll participate in a professional collaboration in a live, Industry-facing context. You’ll work as part of a team, to design and deliver a real-world marketing and publicity campaign for a games project developed within the School, showcasing the game at EGX, the UK’s premiere video game event - a vital exercise in audience engagement, PR and event marketing that translates directly to film and TV.

Alongside this collaborative work, you’ll deepen your understanding of how the business of film, television and games operates internationally, from financing and sales estimates to recoupment and exhibition models.

Module 4: Industry Ready: The Executive Pitch Project

This is the culmination of your MA - an independent, professionally-focused project

that puts into practise everything you’ve learned across the year and shows that you’re ready for the industry. You will devise work on a real film, television show or game and design and pitch a marketing, distribution or sales strategy for it. This module also includes tailored employability and career planning, and The Trailer Lab - where you’ll work with the editors of a prolific A/V and trailer editing house in London to produce your own trailer, exploring the power of genre and positioning in marketing.

Module 5: Master’s Portfolio

Throughout the course you will create and critically evaluate your own portfolio of creative work that will not only show how your skills and experience have developed over the year, but also provides you with evidence of your work for industry presentations, career showcases and job interviews.

You might be completely new to the industry, a recent undergraduate, or have some experience or qualifications and looking for a step up. The course is open to those from a wide range of backgrounds - the course is further enriched by the variety of students’ experiences and insights within the cohorts we select.

You must be able to demonstrate a passion for film, TV, and/or games, the business-side of the industry, and ultimately be interested in connecting content to audiences and players.

While many applicants will have a degree from a British or overseas university, we will consider applicants who do not have a degree if they have an impressive portfolio, a creative track record or an alternative qualification.

International students Visa and English language requirements

If you have any questions, please email info@nfts.co.uk

Home Tuition Fees: £13,950 (full course fee)

Includes UK/Irish Nationals and EU/EEA Nationals with EU Settlement Status, subject to meeting residency requirements. For more information, please see our FAQs.

International Tuition Fees: £21,950 (full course fee)

Includes non-EU/EEA Nationals and EU/EEA Nationals without EU Settlement Status

These are the fees for our January 2026 MA intakes, and are updated yearly toward the end of June.

All production costs are included in the course fee, including the use of School facilities and equipment.

Please note, the following fee applies:

Deposit on confirmation of place: £500
This fee is non-refundable

The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances, which is why we award more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.

The following item(s) should accompany your online application:

An overview of a marketing campaign that you are familiar with (no more than one side of A4)

Applications will close at 23:59 on the day of the deadline, shown at the top of this page.

Funding Available

The Lesley Land Scholarship has been set up (in honour of the highly regarded entertainment publicist) to cover tuition fees on this MA course, in addition to funding available from the UK Cinema Association (UKCA) and NFTS. If you are offered a place on the course and are eligible, you will be invited to apply.

Visit our Funding Guide

Upcoming Events

21 Mar

NFTS General Open Day

10:00 - 16:00 NFTS General Open Day

Tutors

Head of Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition

Clare Crean

Experienced film and television International Sales executive

Clare Crean

Main Campus

Student Showcase

There is an opportunity for students to visit the European Film Market, part of the Berlin Film Festival. This trip gives students the opportunity to experience the international industry up close.

As part of the course, you will work with a student from the NFTS Games Design and Development MA course to support their project with a marketing and publicity plan. This will culminate with the game being showcased at EGX London.

Throughout the course, teaching is highly practical and led by practitioners and Industry executives. This is enhanced by field trips to key markets and conferences, allowing you to build up invaluable contacts to kickstart your career.

Graduate Success

Graduates of the Marketing, Distribution, Sales and Exhibition MA are highly employable executives in the film, television and games industries and have gone on to contribute widely to the screen sector value chain, achieving roles with high profile companies.