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Average Media Executive Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A media executive in United Kingdom earns about 70,600 GBP a year. That's 1% roughly in line with the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 34,300 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 112,700 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a media executive make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
70,600 GBP
5,883 GBP per month
Lowest reported
34,300 GBP
2,858 GBP per month
Highest reported
112,700 GBP
9,391 GBP per month

A typical media executive working in United Kingdom brings home around 5,883 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 34,300 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 112,700 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior media executive working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the media executive salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How media executive pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all media executives in United Kingdom earn less than 71,700 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 48,500 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 94,500 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of media executives sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 34,300 GBP. The highest stretch to 112,700 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

34,300
Low
71,700
Median
112,700
High
48,500
25th
94,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Media executive pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a media executive in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical media executive salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    41,400 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +29% from previous
    53,500 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +35% from previous
    72,300 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +28% from previous
    92,300 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +5% from previous
    97,300 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    105,800 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 35%. That is the point at which a media executive typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Media executive pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving media executive pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average media executive salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    53,600 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +10% from previous
    59,100 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +37% from previous
    81,000 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +28% from previous
    103,600 GBP

Media executive gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male media executives in United Kingdom earn an average of 73,300 GBP a year, while female media executives earn around 68,500 GBP. That works out to a 7% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Media Executive gender pay gap

7%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 73,300 GBP
Women 68,500 GBP

Pay raises for a media executive in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 12% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Media executive bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

58%

58% of media executives in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a media executive a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 42% of media executives reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Media executive: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Media executive salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Media executive pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • London
  • Bristol
  • Bradford
  • Leeds
  • Manchester
  • Leicester
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion137,100 GBP140,700 GBP66,400-211,200 GBP
ScotlandRegion99,700 GBP92,600 GBP53,300-153,800 GBP
BirminghamCity91,700 GBP98,800 GBP42,400-142,300 GBP
GlasgowCity88,600 GBP92,300 GBP41,400-138,700 GBP
LondonCity87,200 GBP93,200 GBP38,000-137,100 GBP
BristolCity86,800 GBP89,900 GBP42,300-138,700 GBP
BradfordCity85,400 GBP85,400 GBP42,800-130,400 GBP
LeedsCity84,600 GBP87,900 GBP40,200-134,100 GBP
ManchesterCity83,400 GBP83,400 GBP42,400-127,600 GBP
LeicesterCity83,300 GBP79,600 GBP43,500-127,700 GBP
EdinburghCity83,300 GBP80,700 GBP46,200-130,500 GBP
LiverpoolCity83,300 GBP81,700 GBP42,300-130,500 GBP
CoventryCity83,000 GBP90,000 GBP38,000-130,400 GBP
BrightonCity81,700 GBP74,200 GBP45,000-125,400 GBP
SheffieldCity80,700 GBP82,200 GBP38,000-123,800 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity80,300 GBP76,800 GBP45,000-125,400 GBP
SomersetCity80,200 GBP76,900 GBP41,700-121,800 GBP
CardiffCity79,800 GBP79,600 GBP42,400-123,800 GBP
WolverhamptonCity79,600 GBP89,300 GBP38,100-128,400 GBP
DerbyCity79,500 GBP81,200 GBP40,700-123,800 GBP
BelfastCity78,700 GBP81,600 GBP40,900-123,800 GBP
NottinghamCity78,700 GBP73,800 GBP43,200-119,700 GBP
AberdeenCity78,500 GBP74,000 GBP42,300-119,700 GBP
DundeeCity78,200 GBP79,800 GBP39,500-119,700 GBP
NewcastleCity77,000 GBP72,700 GBP44,300-118,900 GBP
YorkCity77,000 GBP77,000 GBP39,800-123,000 GBP
CambridgeCity75,500 GBP69,600 GBP40,300-114,900 GBP
PeterboroughCity75,000 GBP71,600 GBP38,000-114,900 GBP
PortsmouthCity75,000 GBP80,900 GBP35,300-117,100 GBP
SwanseaCity74,700 GBP70,900 GBP40,200-116,400 GBP
ArmaghCity74,700 GBP68,200 GBP39,800-116,400 GBP
PlymouthCity74,300 GBP80,000 GBP36,500-119,700 GBP
ExeterCity73,800 GBP73,800 GBP36,700-116,400 GBP
HartlepoolCity73,100 GBP74,000 GBP34,700-112,700 GBP
OxfordCity73,100 GBP75,900 GBP37,200-114,300 GBP
LincolnCity73,100 GBP79,700 GBP33,000-115,600 GBP
DerryCity73,100 GBP66,200 GBP36,900-109,700 GBP
NewportCity72,700 GBP78,500 GBP34,000-115,600 GBP
SouthamptonCity72,400 GBP67,800 GBP40,900-114,600 GBP
GloucesterCity71,700 GBP66,400 GBP40,300-111,700 GBP
NewryCity71,600 GBP68,900 GBP36,800-109,700 GBP
ChesterCity71,400 GBP69,200 GBP36,400-108,200 GBP
CanterburyCity71,100 GBP72,000 GBP33,500-108,200 GBP
LisburnCity70,800 GBP70,600 GBP35,100-109,700 GBP
NorwichCity70,600 GBP71,700 GBP34,300-112,700 GBP
StirlingCity70,600 GBP69,700 GBP37,100-111,700 GBP
WinchesterCity69,800 GBP71,100 GBP35,000-108,200 GBP
PooleCity69,800 GBP71,700 GBP35,000-108,200 GBP
DurhamCity69,400 GBP76,000 GBP32,900-114,600 GBP
WellsCity69,100 GBP71,200 GBP32,600-109,000 GBP
WalesRegion68,900 GBP61,400 GBP35,200-102,700 GBP
InvernessCity68,800 GBP66,100 GBP34,900-107,300 GBP
BangorCity67,600 GBP68,200 GBP29,400-105,200 GBP
WakefieldCity67,400 GBP65,500 GBP33,600-103,600 GBP
KirkwallCity67,200 GBP72,400 GBP32,200-107,300 GBP
StromnessCity65,900 GBP69,700 GBP28,900-105,800 GBP
SalisburyCity65,800 GBP61,300 GBP35,500-97,900 GBP
TruroCity65,500 GBP67,400 GBP29,100-99,700 GBP
RiponCity65,200 GBP65,200 GBP33,200-100,100 GBP
AbingdonCity65,200 GBP69,400 GBP29,100-100,700 GBP
St DavidsCity64,500 GBP64,500 GBP31,400-100,300 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion63,500 GBP65,700 GBP29,600-103,600 GBP
StrontianCity63,400 GBP63,400 GBP30,700-99,700 GBP

Media Executive in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a media executive make per month in United Kingdom?

    A media executive in United Kingdom earns about 5,883 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 70,600 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a media executive in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level media executives in United Kingdom start near 34,300 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 112,700 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 48,500 and 94,500 GBP.

  • Is the median media executive salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 71,700 GBP, higher than the average of 70,600 GBP. Half of media executives in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for media executives in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a media executive in United Kingdom earn around 7% more than women on average (73,300 vs 68,500 GBP a year).

  • Do media executives in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 58% of media executives in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do media executives earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a media executive about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do media executives in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A media executive in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.