In Norway definitions and activity around the creative and cultural industries are still developing. In the process of importing new terms to describe the industry, Norway has so far chosen to employ the term cultural industries rather than creative industries.

Although many of the sectors/industries included in the definition are the same as for example what is used in the UK, the Norwegian definition emphasises the cultural integration into industry rather than a broad definition of creativity.

In Norway, the following sectors are defined as part of the cultural industries: Computer-games; Design and fashion; Film and video; Publishing; Arts and crafts; the Music industry; Sales of antiques and arts; Software and data services; TV and radio; and Performing arts

The GDP for these industries comes to just above 33 billion NOK, and the total amount of people employed in these sectors (in private companies) amounted to 3.4 per cent of all employees in 2002.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry is involved in the drafting of a parliamentary document on this 'new' industry, a report that will be presented in Spring 2005 and has also commissioned a research report on the topic, one of the first in its kind in Norway. The work on cultural/creative industries policies is carried out by the Ministry in collaboration with Innovation Norway.

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