Channel 4’s plans to cut over a quarter of its workforce are set to be scrutinized by a parliamentary committee. The British public service broadcaster confirmed Wednesday it planned to slash around 340 roles, equivalent to 28% of its headcount, within the next few months. The move is partly aimed at protecting the network’s already under-pressure commissioning budgets, with a press release about the news citing “a rapidly changing media landscape, including evolving audience habits, increasing global competition, a challenging consumer environment and a volatile advertising market.” Channel 4’s CEO Priya Dogra, who joined the broadcaster six months ago, said: “The challenges we face require a fundamental transformation in how we work.” In response to the news, the cross-party Parliamentary media committee confirmed it planned to “question” Channel 4 over its plans.
Under previous governments there were plans to sell off the broadcaster, which caused alarm within the U.K. industry. There are currently no plans to revisit those proposals. Between the advertising downturn and proliferation in the number of U.S.-owned streaming platforms operating in the U.K. (HBO Max launched in the territory earlier this year, joining others including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Paramount+) not to mention the rise of YouTube, it has become an increasingly difficult environment for the PSBs to operate in without backing from a larger entity.
The BBC is funded by the U.K. public, Channel 5 is owned by Paramount Skydance and ITV recently confirmed its linear and streaming operations would be acquired by Comcast-owned Sky. It has been a particularly tough time for Channel 4, which has recently been rocked by a scandal surrounding one of its most popular shows, “Married at First Sight U.K.,” and is still searching for a new director of programs, with incumbent Ian Katz set to step down next month.
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