Ian Katz Says ‘The Gathering’ Was “Quietly A Massive Hit” For Channel 4 Despite Being Canceled After One Season

deadline.com:

Ian Katz has said there is “real buzz about Channel 4” within the UK’s drama production community since Ollie Madden took charge, while addressing why hit streaming drama The Gathering was axed.

Earlier today, it emerged that The Gathering from Line of Duty maker World Productions had been canceled after one season despite regularly being touted as one of the network’s top-rated dramas on its streaming platform.

Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London, content boss Katz said The Gathering was “quietly a massive hit for us” and was “absolutely huge on streaming.” But he went on to say that it was “quite small” in terms of linear viewing and qualified that Madden – who now oversees film and TV drama for Channel 4 – had “other priorities and other shows he wants to make,” echoing remarks made earlier by the show’s EP Simon Heath, who runs World Productions.

The Gathering, which starred Boiling Point’s Vinette Robinson and was about a violent attack on a teenage girl during a rave, kicked off to around 1 million overnight viewers in May but fell away somewhat on linear. “It was a great show and did brilliantly for us and we could easily have gone for it again,” added Katz. “One of the tricky things for us with it is we are trying to get this balance as we transition from being a broadcaster with a streaming platform to being a streaming platform of riding two horses.