Channel 4 has today announced which cities and regions remain in the running for its new National HQ and two Creative Hubs, as the broadcaster looks to increase its spend across the UK in order to boost regional economies and jobs.
Thirteen cities in total have impressed enough with their first pitch to be invited back for the second pitching process.
The shortlist includes Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and the West Midlands – all of which are being considered for both the National HQ and the Creative Hubs.
Belfast, Brighton, Newcastle-Gateshead, Nottingham, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent will also be pitching for a second time, but are being considered for a Creative Hub only.
The new hubs are central to the compromise reached between the commercial broadcaster and the Government back in March, wherein it gets to keep its London headquarters in exchange for significant investment across other regions of the UK.
4 All the UK includes a commitment from Channel 4 to increase its Nations & Regions content spend from 35% to a new voluntary target of 50% by 2023, resulting in a cumulative boost of over £250m in its Nations & Regions commissioning spend.
Leading the pitching process is Channel 4’s chief commercial officer, Jonathan Allan, who said that the number and quality of submissions has “underlined the huge amount of creativity, innovation and talent” across the UK.
“We look forward to visiting all those on the shortlist as part of our second phase, but we will also be continuing to work with all cities and regions as part of our strategy to increase investment and support creative businesses, jobs and growth across the UK,” he added.
The second pitching process will involve Channel 4 visiting each city for a presentation and Q&A; the final locations will be selected in October this year.
