Channel 4 has reached a deal with the government to move hundreds of staff out of London and create a new “national HQ” in another city – but it will not be forced to sell its £100m base in London. The broadcaster has laid out a plan to move 300 of its 800 staff out of the capital next year. It currently employs only about 30 staff outside London.
Next month Channel 4 will invite pitches from cities across the UK to host its second HQ, as part of a plan expected to be approved by the government. “This is the biggest change in the structure of Channel 4 in its 35-year history,” said Alex Mahon, Channel 4’s chief executive.
Mahon said Channel 4 would open three new “creative hubs” in the nations and regions, with the largest to be a new national HQ. It will have facilities including a TV studio and host Channel 4 executive and board meetings. She added that the locations for the new hubs would be confirmed by the end of the September.
Mahon said Channel 4 News would also be “on the move”, with an increased regional presence. The broadcaster’s national news programmes are made by ITN, which is based in London. “We will launch three new news bureaux in the nations and regions,” she said. “One will become a major hub. We will triple the number of Channel 4 News jobs in the nations and regions by 2020.”
The plan includes a commitment to spend half of Channel 4’s total £700m annual programme budget on shows made by TV production companies based outside London by 2023. It currently spends £169m annually.
“The biggest contribution Channel 4 can make to regional economies and jobs is how much we spend on programmes,” Mahon said. “This move alone will increase spend to [regional] TV producers by over £250m by 2023.” Channel 4 has estimated that its plans will also create 3,000 new jobs in the creative industries outside London.
Source:
theguardian
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