Channel 4 To Invest £430m In Programming In 2003
Channel 4 has announced it is to invest £430m in programming next year but has claimed its 20th anniversary “doesn’t feel like an appropriate time for a celebration”.
It has been a relatively bad year for Channel 4, which has suffered from the closure of its Film Four production arm and the expense of establishing digital youth channel E4. Critics have claimed the channel is suffering from an “identity crisis” and is too dependent on US imports to draw audiences.
The channel’s new Winter 2003 season will include new series of Friends, ER, Sex In The City, Will And Grace and The West Wing. The new line-up will also see the return of Chris Evans to the channel with a new game show called Boys And Girls, which Channel 4 describes as “testosterone fuelled”. There will also be a new documentary programme from the makers of Faking It about wife-swapping.
Channel 4 is also keen to emphasise its renewed commitment to drama and factual programming. Following the success of Simon Schama’s History Of Britain series on the BBC, heavyweight historian Niall Ferguson will present and write a six-part series called Empire.
Earlier this month Channel 4 suffered one of its worst ratings weeks in history (see Five Sets Its Sights On Toppling Channel 4). According to the channel, it was this decline in ratings which made it clear that heavy-weight soap Brookside had to be moved out of its peak-time slot (see
Channel 4 Shuns Brookside For More Hollyoaks ITV To Put £825 Million Into New Shows Next Year). Speaking at Monday’s annual MediaTel Question Time event, Jim Hytner, commercial director of ITV, said the only way to match the BBC is with spend and “we’re going to match [them] in 2003” (see Hytner Criticises Dyke For Misuse Of The Licence Fee).
Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com
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