North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2002

51 - Information and Cultural Industries

This sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in producing and distributing (except by wholesale and retail methods) information and cultural products. Establishments providing the means to transmit or distribute these products or providing access to equipment and expertise for processing data are also included.

The unique characteristics of information and cultural products, and of the processes involved in their production and distribution, distinguish this sector from the goods-producing and services-producing sectors. In particular,

* the value of these products lies in their information, educational, cultural or entertainment content, not in the format in which they are distributed. Most of these products are protected from unlawful reproduction by copyright laws. Only those possessing the rights to these works are authorized to reproduce, alter, improve and distribute them. Acquiring and using these rights often involves significant costs.

* the intangible nature of the content of information and cultural products allows for their distribution in various forms. For example, a movie can be shown at a movie theatre, on a television broadcast, through video on demand, or rented at a local video store; a sound recording can be aired on radio, embedded in multi-media products or sold at a record store; software can be bought at retail outlets or downloaded from an electronic bulletin board; a newspaper can be purchased at a newsstand or received on-line. In addition, improvements in information technology are revolutionizing the distribution of these products. The inclusion in this sector of telecommunications carriers and Internet access providers reflects the increasingly important role these establishments play in making these products accessible to the public.

The main components of this sector are the publishing industries (except exclusively on Internet), including software publishing, the motion picture and sound recording industries, the broadcasting industries (except exclusively on Internet), the internet publishing and broadcasting industries, the telecommunications industries, the internet service providers, web search portals, data processing industries, and the other information services industries. There are establishments engaged in culture-related activities that are classified in other sectors of NAICS. The most important are listed below.

• Exclusion(s):

  Establishments primarily engaged in:

  • duplicating information or cultural products in print form, or in the form of optical or magnetic media(31-33)
  • wholesaling information and cultural products such as newspapers, books, software, videocassettes, DVDs and sound recordings (See 41 Wholesale Trade)
  • retailing information and cultural products such as newspapers, books, software and sound recordings(44-45)
  • design activities (See 54 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services)
  • producing live presentations that involve the performances of actors and actresses, singers, dancers, musical groups and artists, and other performing artists (See 71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation)
  • performing in artistic productions, and in creating artistic and cultural works or productions as independent individuals (See 71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation)
  • preserving and exhibiting objects, sites, and natural wonders of historical, cultural and/or educational value (See 71 Arts, Entertainment and Recreation)

515 - Broadcasting (except Internet)

This subsector comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating radio and television broadcasting studios and facilities.

• Exclusion(s):

  Establishments primarily engaged in:

  • broadcasting exclusively on the Internet (See 516 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting)
  • operating telecommunications networks (See 517 Telecommunications)

5151 - Radio and Television Broadcasting

This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating broadcasting studios and facilities for the transmission of a variety of radio and television broadcasts, including entertainment, news, talk shows and other programs. These establishments produce, purchase and schedule programs; and generate revenues from the sale of air time to advertisers, from donations and subsidies, or from the sale of programs.

• Exclusion(s):

  Establishments primarily engaged in:

  • broadcasting television programs in a defined and limited format via operators of cable and satellite distribution systems (See 51521 Pay and Specialty Television)
  • broadcasting exclusively on the Internet (See 51611 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting)
  • delivering programs to subscribers by cable or satellite systems (See 51751 Cable and Other Program Distribution)

5152 - Pay and Specialty Television

This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting television programs, in a defined and limited format, via operators of cable and satellite distribution systems. The programming is delivered to subscribers by operators of cable or satellite distribution systems.