Channel 4 Restructures Commercial Arm To Boost Profits
Channel 4 has announced a restructuring of its commercial arm, 4 Ventures, in an attempt to increase profits from its secondary business activities.
Channel 4 chief executive, Andy Duncan, has unveiled plans to reintegrate a number of 4 Ventures’ activities back into the core Channel 4 organisation and retain a streamlined commercial arm, focussing on 4’s new media and rights businesses.
Commenting on the restructuring, Duncan said: “We have an ambitious and exciting vision to strengthen Channel 4’s public service contribution across all digital platforms and this restructure is a vital step towards achieving that goal.”
He continued: “4 Ventures will now focus strictly on activities, rights and new media, where we see a real potential for profit growth. We also believe that E4, FilmFour and More 4, when it launches, stand the best chance of sustained growth by being placed at the creative heat of Channel 4, with a cross-channel portfolio approach to commissioning, scheduling and marketing.”
As a result of the restructure, three of 4 Ventures’ existing business divisions, 4 Channels, 4 Learning and 4 Services will be reintegrated into the centralised Channel 4 structure. A fourth division, 4 Rights, housing Channel 4 International and Consumer Products, will be renamed Rights and Consumer Products and form the core of the new-look 4 Ventures, alongside 4 Interactive, which is being renamed as Channel 4 New Media.
Graeme Mason has been appointed as the new managing director of the Rights and Consumer Products division, while the current head of interactive, Any Taylor, is promoted to managing Director at the helm of the newly expanded New Media division.
Both Mason and Taylor will report to a soon-to-be appointed new business director, who will sit on the Channel 4 board and have operational responsibility for 4 Ventures, replacing commercial director Rob Woodward.
4 Ventures’ Corporate Development team, headed by Michael Hodgson, will also be retained and will report to the new business director. The Corporate Development team will continue to look for new investment opportunities for Channel 4 and will have responsibility for joint venture discussions with third parties.
The current 4 Ventures board will be replaced by a Strategic Advisory Group, which will include some Channel 4 non-executive directors.
With 4 Ventures’ 4 Channels division being disbanded, the programming heads of E4 and More 4, will now report to Channel 4’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, who will have management responsibility for editorial policy and programme budgets for the two channels. The general manager of the FilmFour channels will report to Channel 4’s controller of broadcasting, Rosemary Newell.
Dan Brooks, current managing director of 4 Channels, has been given a new role as controller of digital channels, reporting to Andy Duncan. He will be responsible for multi-channel strategy, developing and launching new channels and platform management.
The new proposals will see 4 Learning integrated back into Channel 4, with Heather Rabbatts becoming the head of education.
Channel 4’s in-house creative agency, 4creative, which alongside 4 Interactive and 124 Facilities was formerly part of the 4 Services division within 4 Ventures, will be integrated into the Channel 4 Marketing department. 4creative will continue to work with external clients on a commercial basis as well as servicing the creative advertising requirements of Channel4.
Andy Duncan added: “As we move towards a fully digital Britain Channel 4 intends to significantly increase its presence on multi-channel and new media platforms, but I’m committed to achieving this expansion with staff numbers at or below 2004 levels.”
4 Ventures: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com/ventures
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