Channel 4 hits record spend for out of London commissions
Channel 4’s proportion of commissions and spend outside of London hit an all-time record high last year.
Two thirds of all original programming commissioned for the main channel was produced in the nations and regions – nearly double the broadcaster’s 35 per cent quota set by Ofcom.
Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said: “These record figures show how Channel 4’s commitment to increasing spend in the Nations and Regions has helped break London’s longstanding dominance of the TV industry.”
“Over the last two years we have built a formidable commissioning team in our new bases of Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol and their hard work, in collaboration with our brilliant indie partners, has ensured that the Channel’s output is now truly representative of the whole United Kingdom”.
Both figures represented records in terms of percentage commissions and spend from the Nations and Regions beating the broadcaster previous peaks of 59 per cent of hours commissioned (2018) and 47 per cent of spend on originated programming (2020) from N&R based indies.
The record commissioning statistics have been welcomed by independent production companies across the UK.
Lucy Smith, Development Executive at Leeds-based Wise Owl Media said: “Everyone wants to be in the room where it happens, and right now out-of-London production is experiencing an extraordinary renaissance.”
“Out-of-London indies are no longer content to deliver low-tariff regional programmes and are laser-focused on developing big budget international formats at scale. So if you’re considering a move north, be part of history and join us!”