Channel 4 is planning to take majority stakes in third-party manufacturing firms as a part of its plan to maneuver into in-house manufacturing.
Because the UK industrial broadcaster revealed its annual report on Wednesday, Channel 4 unveiled its Artistic Funding Fund, which can again firms with industrial potential.
Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s COO and incoming interim CEO, declined to disclose the worth of the corporate’s indie funding battle chest. Channel 4 has money reserves of £111M ($150M).
Allan mentioned the Artistic Funding Fund can be an evolution of the long-standing Indie Progress Fund, which has taken small stakes in firms together with Warp Movies, which made Netflix hit Adolescence.
Allan mentioned Channel 4 would “make investments moderately” in producers, however acknowledged that the corporate wouldn’t be capable of compete with deep-pocketed rivals like ITV Studios.
He added that Channel 4 can be shifting into manufacturing in a “gradual and thoroughly managed” manner, beginning with launching the unnamed in-house unit in 2026 as a definite firm. He wouldn’t disclose income projections.
Deadline revealed on Tuesday that Channel 4 has engaged Ibison, the chief search firm run by former YMU expertise agent Nicola Ibison, to discover a manufacturing chief. The position will report back to Allan.
Channel 4’s transfer into manufacturing is a big step, signalling the tip of its 40-year historical past as a community that greenlights all of its content material from the unbiased manufacturing sector. The UK authorities eliminated Channel 4’s writer broadcaster shackles in 2023 as a part of a deal to maintain the corporate in public palms.
The brand new in-house manufacturing boss might be anticipated to have relationships with UK broadcasters, streamers, and U.S. companions, underlining Channel 4’s ambition to make exhibits for third events.
