Channel 4 Looks To Join BritBox & Orders Regional Content To Fix “Brexit Divide”
Channel 4 is keen to join the BBC and ITV’s forthcoming digital streaming service BritBox and is also pooling its reach with a raft of European broadcasters as it eyes new partnerships.
The British broadcaster was not part of the original launch announcement for UK service BritBox but CEO Alex Mahon used her speech at the Deloitte & Enders Media and Telecoms Conference 2019 to register its interest.
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“Of course, we are having positive and constructive discussions with ITV and the BBC about how Channel 4 could partner with them to build the scale of Brit Box. Internationally we are pooling our reach with ProSieben, TF1 and Mediaset in the European Broadcasting Exchange to sell across borders,” she said.
The broadcaster recently unveiled its plans to move a large portion of its staff outside of London and increasing its spending in the nations and regions. It will open a new HQ in Leeds as well as new creative hubs in Bristol and Glasgow.
“It ensures that we sound more like our audience and we look more like the nation – building on the success of Hollyoaks, Ackley Bridge or Gogglebox and for the first time regularly co-anchoring Channel 4 News from places other than London. It’s who we are, but it is not easy. However, we must respond to the Brexit divide which is going to be a generational issue in this country,” she said.
The former Shine Group boss revealed that it has set its first content from its Leeds HQ’s new Digital Creative Unit. The division, which will commission and produce content for social and digital platforms, will launch 4Real, a new factual strand aimed at a young audience.
“This will be the first of a number of new content strands the unit will be commissioning and is about leveraging our brand and our creative expertise to appeal to our future audience on the platforms where they are,” she added.
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