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As Channel 4 Comes Out Fighting Amid Sales Talk, Content Boss Ian Katz Details a Hectic, Historic Year (EXCLUSIVE)
Manori Ravindran International EditorIt doesn’t get more ironic than the hand that’s been dealt the U.K.’s Channel 4.The publicly owned broadcaster set up by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — and known overseas as the creative incubator of shows like “Derry Girls” and “It’s a Sin” — is facing a potential sale by Boris Johnson’s government at the exact moment it delivers the highest content budget in its 39-year history and eyes a record-breaking £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in revenues for 2021.Ian Katz, chief content officer, tells Variety that £700 million is ear-marked for new shows in 2022 — a cash infusion that will only build on what he brands as an auspicious “purple patch” for the channel.
