UK Broadcasting Chiefs Branded “Callous” & “Cloth-Eared” By Pact Boss For Publicly Proclaiming Death Of Mid-Budget Shows

deadline.com:

UK broadcasting bosses have been branded “callous” and “cloth-eared” by the head of Pact for the way in which they publicly proclaimed the death of the mid-budget programing market.

Last month’s Edinburgh TV Festival was dominated by chatter about the “squeezed middle,” with BBC content boss Charlotte Moore saying the pubcaster was “rightsizing” in the area, ITV‘s Kevin Lygo questioning, “Why would you watch the [mid-range] when you have Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen?,” and Channel 4 head honcho Ian Katz challenging producers to make bingeable, streamer-first content.

Speaking at yesterday’s Pact census briefing, John McVay cited a lack of sensitivity given that the mid-range market is “where my members live.” “I thought some of the way that was presented in Edinburgh was I think a bit callous,” he added. “It was like, ‘Oh well, that’s how it will be, that’s it’.

Using phrases like ‘rightsizing’ was just a bit cloth-eared given the state of the market. It’s frustrating for me and my members.” Only Channel 4 has engaged with McVay on the topic, he said, pointing to a robust conversation he had with the network’s CEO Alex Mahon at the Creative Cities Convention. “A lot of our members have been great suppliers to these buyers and have held on this year by the skin of their teeth only to be told, ‘Oh actually we don’t do [mid-range programing] anymore.’,” he added. “That may be the reality of the market but no one bar Alex [Mahon] talked to us about those plans.” Chatter about the financial situation at Edinburgh was gloomy and some of Pact’s hundreds-strong member base such as RDF, Betty and Wildflame have closed or downsized of late.