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Channel 4 plans to be 'digital-first public broadcaster by 2030'
The broadcaster will be shifting focus to produce more programmes which are known to drive streaming growth, such as dramas and high-end documentaries.
Channel 4 has announced a new five year strategy, which will be aiming the reshape the broadcaster to become a "genuinely digital-first public service streamer" by 2030.
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The strategy, which is called Fast Forward, is designed to ensure that the broadcaster, which is publicly owned but not publicly funded, embraces what it called the "generational shift that is taking place in TV viewing".
Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon said: "Channel 4 was designed to be ahead of the curve and has never stood still. The rate of change in our market is only speeding up.
"Our new strategy will accelerate our digital transformation – building on 2020’s Future4 strategy and our founding public service principles – so Channel 4 remains a trusted, disruptive and distinctive brand into the 2030s, offering brilliant shows that people love and that matter."
Married at First Sight UK. Channel 4
The Fast Forward strategy has three pillars, with the first being digital growth and transformation, the second being diversified new businesses and the third being reengineering the business for a digital-first world.
Among other things, this means that the broadcaster will be looking to make a "significant shift in investment" to programmes known to drive streaming growth, such as dramas, high-end documentaries, comedies and reality shows, while also targeting younger viewers on platforms such as YouTube.
As part of its strategic overhaul, the broadcaster also announced plans to cut around 200 jobs, with Mahon that she is "very sad that some of our excellent colleagues will lose their jobs", but that "the reality of the rapid downshift in the economy and advertising market demand [is that] we must change structurally".
Last year, government plans to privatise Channel 4 were dropped by then culture secretary Michelle Donelan, who wrote to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, saying that "pursuing a sale at this point is not the right decision and there are better ways to secure C4C’s (Channel 4 Corporation) sustainability".
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
