Channel 4 Content Chief Says Ad Market “Wheezing Back Into Life” After Grueling Slump — Edinburgh

deadline.com:

Channel 4 wants the UK television industry to know: the dark days are over. The 40-year-old British broadcasting institution has suffered one of the most grueling periods in its history after a dramatic ad market slump brutally exposed its business model.

Content was cut or delayed, more than 200 employees were fired, and Channel 4’s foundational relationship with UK producers was tested to breaking point.

But as the sun comes up on the 2024 Edinburgh TV Festival, Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz is attempting to reassure the industry that better days lie ahead.

Hosting a dinner for talent and journalists on Tuesday night, Katz told the room that the ad market is “wheezing back into life” and the picture is “much brighter.” The former Newsnight editor was not specific about the extent of advertising recovery, but his message is a welcome one for the UK television business.