Last week, the broadcaster announced a £10m-a-year fund for programmes aimed at 10 to 15-year-olds, as well as the contribution of £10m a year to a new fund to promote the use of digital media to produce public service content.
But Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4, said these new public service programming commitments are “not affordable on a long-term basis”.
The broadcaster claims that, with a declining share of TV viewers and a subsequent drop in TV ad revenues, it will need about £150m a year in public funding by 2012.
Duncan told Media Week: “We have reprioritised the best we can. We have said we will invest in two main additional things – children’s content and multimedia – but they will add to the [funding] gap, which we have been clear will amount to around £150m.
“It is a Catch-22. We can’t afford to wait, we need to get on and do something and test things out.”
Channel 4 wants public support amounting to 15% of its income.
Duncan said Ofcom was con¬sidering “six or seven options” to address its future funding, including the gifting of free digital TV spectrum or the top-slicing of part of the BBC’s £3.2bn a year licence fee.
But Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4, said these new public service programming commitments are “not affordable on a long-term basis”.
The broadcaster claims that, with a declining share of TV viewers and a subsequent drop in TV ad revenues, it will need about £150m a year in public funding by 2012.
Duncan told Media Week: “We have reprioritised the best we can. We have said we will invest in two main additional things – children’s content and multimedia – but they will add to the [funding] gap, which we have been clear will amount to around £150m.
“It is a Catch-22. We can’t afford to wait, we need to get on and do something and test things out.”
Channel 4 wants public support amounting to 15% of its income.
Duncan said Ofcom was con¬sidering “six or seven options” to address its future funding, including the gifting of free digital TV spectrum or the top-slicing of part of the BBC’s £3.2bn a year licence fee.
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
