Channel 4 Loses Director Of Marketing And Strategy
Channel 4 has announced that David Brook is stepping down as director of marketing and strategy to launch a new brand and content development business.
Brook joined Channel 4 in 1997 as director of strategy and development after successfully completing the launch of Channel Five. Whilst at Channel 4 he was responsible for developing the cross-platform strategy, which was integral to the success of Big Brother (see Big Brother’s Cross-Media Platforms Deliver Audience).
The news of his departure will come as a fresh blow to Channel 4, which has been suffering in the ratings (see Five Sets Its Sights On Toppling Channel 4). According to the channel, it was this decline in ratings which prompted it to move its heavy-weight soap, Brookside, out of its peak-time slot and replace it with Hollyoaks (see Channel 4 Shuns Brookside For More Hollyoaks).
Brook said: “Taking Channel 4 into the digital age and establishing the brand as the UK’s leading TV innovator has been as exciting a challenge as anyone could hope for, and I wish Mark Thompson well as he pursues his vision for the channel.
Mark Thompson, chief executive of Channel 4, added: “We are very sorry to lose him be has been at the heart of some of the channel’s biggest breakthroughs of recent years, from the launch of Film Four and E4 channels to the acquisition of Test Match cricket.”
It is expected that Channel 4 will announce a raft of job cuts later today in an effort to cut costs. Last July around fifty staff were made redundant when Film Four’s production arm was closed and it was announced then that further job cuts would be made (see Channel 4 Calls Time On Film Production Arm).
Earlier this week Channel 4 announced that it is to invest £430 million in programming as part of its winter 2003 schedule (see Channel 4 To Invest £430m In Programming In 2003).
Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com
Recent Television Stories from NewsLine ITV Appoints New Director Of Programmes Carlton And Granada Move Closer To £2.6bn Single ITV Company Hytner Is ‘Relieved’ That ITV Did Not Win DTT Licence
Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left