Alex Mahon: Channel 4 Is Starting To “Buy Bigger Again” After “Horrendous” Time For UK Producers
deadline.comChannel 4 CEO Alex Mahon has said that the UK broadcaster is back in the market for big ideas after acknowledging that cuts have been “horrendous” for producers.
Speaking at the RTS London Convention on Tuesday, Mahon told a room full of British television luminaries that Channel 4 is “starting to buy and buy bigger again.” It follows a turbulent ad downturn for the network, during which Channel 4 all but froze content spending, cut jobs, delayed premieres, and canceled shows including Four Weddings and Rise and Fall.
The decisions, as well as Channel 4’s communication during these dark days, enraged UK producers, who felt like they had been betrayed after defending the broadcaster during its battle against privatization. “I think it was really hard, and relations were really rocky,” Mahon said.
She added, however, that relations had thawed “now we’ve started spending again” and there was a recognition that Channel 4 was not alone in cutting content spending.
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