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Channel 4 said it no longer sees its future in traditional TV channels, in a decision that could spell the end for some documentaries and other programs that don’t appeal to younger online audiences.
The broadcaster announced that it will now prioritize commissioning for its All 4 streaming service rather than obsessing over ratings on its traditional channels. Its director of programs, Ian Katz, said the approach is likely to result in fewer unique films and more investment in longer series that younger viewers love to binge on. “In terms of the value of your spend, it’s best to commission series … and where we do the singles, they’ll have to have a bigger impact,” he said.
It highlighted specialized factual shows – such as documentaries covering topics like history, science or religion – as programs that tended to attract older viewers and would be less likely to be commissioned with the new approach.
Instead, the focus will be on young bewildered reality shows like The Circle and vibrant documentaries like Michael Jackson’s investigation Leaving Neverland, along with comedies like Derry Girls and The End of the F *** ing World.
The announcement came in the same week that Channel 4 recorded its highest live television audience in the past two decades, with 9.2 million people tuned in to watch The Great British Bake Off final.
Currently, the broadcaster is overwhelmingly dependent on revenue from traditional TV advertising, which plummeted in value during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, but has largely picked up since then.
It said it hopes to get 40% of its revenue from digital advertising and other revenue sources not tied to the mainstream TV market by 2025, about double the current amount. As part of this, he wants more people to pay for All 4+, the ad-free version of his recovery service, which costs £ 3.99 per month.
The Channel 4 program’s annual budget of £ 660 million a year makes it a relative minnow compared to the BBC and Netflix, which this year is investing more than $ 1 billion (£ 750 million) in productions filmed in the UK.
Culture Minister John Whittingdale, a longtime supporter of Channel 4’s privatization, has raised concerns in recent months that the broadcaster’s business model may struggle to survive in the face of competition from Netflix.
The decision to publicly announce the new focus on the digital service risks being partly influenced by the ongoing government review of traditional UK public service television channels, which is overseen by Whittingdale.
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