Channel 4 reveals scale of regional plans but denies relocation decision is made

Channel 4 has for the first time revealed the scale of its plans to move programme makers and senior management outside of London, but has rebuffed claims that it has already chosen the West Midlands as its preferred location.

West Midlands’ mayor Andy Street last month confidently expressed the view that the region would “get the nod” ahead of its UK rivals, including Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham, raising expectations that an announcement was expected imminently.

But Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon today said the station’s management “haven’t made any decision yet” on where it will move to.

Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon

Instead, she said the process of deciding where to relocate to would begin in April and take up to six months.

In a speech launching the channel’s new 4 All of the UK strategy, Mahon set out what she described as “the biggest change in the 35-year history of Channel 4”.

Channel 4 is to move to a multi-site operating model, establishing a new national headquarters and two new smaller creative hubs outside London in 2019. It will also keep its Horseferry Road site as its London HQ, but make space available to production companies from outside London that are doing business in the capital.

This will result in moving 300 Channel 4 jobs – including, Mahon stressed, “key creative decision makers” – once the strategy is fully implemented, with the intention for this number to grow further over time.

Channel 4 News will also open three new Channel 4 News bureaux, with one becoming a major hub with a studio, digital and commissioning centre.

Mahon said: “While we have been putting this together over the last few months I have been incredibly impressed and quite excited by the interest that cities and regions across the UK have shown in Channel 4 being part of their community.

“We haven’t made any decision yet on where our three new creative hubs will be located but we will be launching a pitch process in April in which cities and regions from across the UK can get involved.”

The process will be led by Channel 4 board member Jonathan Allan and a decision is expected to be made by the third quarter of this year.

Channel 4 also plans to “significantly increase its Nations and Regions content spend” from its current quota of 35% to a new voluntary target of 50% by 2023. It said this will result in a cumulative boost of over £250m in its commissioning spend.

Roger Marsh, chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “We welcome the further clarity over the next steps in the discussion over the future location of Channel 4’s operations.

“We will continue to make the case that relocating a significant proportion of Channel 4’s operations to the Leeds City Region would be a spark of opportunity for our young, creative and digital talent and the response to our #4Sparks campaign has shown the strength of support for such a move.

“We have engaged in productive discussions with Channel 4 over its future requirements and look forward to having the opportunity to take this forward positively for all.”

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at Sheffield City Council, said: “To establish a new, world-leading centre for digital technology in Sheffield, with its proud reputation for innovation and forward-thinking, would be an excellent complement to any moves made by Channel 4.

“Sheffield is home to Doc/Fest, one of the world’s largest documentary film festivals. And the city’s enviable transport links and talent have already brought Boeing and McLaren Automotive here in recent months. Throw in the city’s two Universities with their journalism and media courses and you have a compelling case for Sheffield to be one of Channel 4s creative hubs.

“Sheffield’s personality has a natural fit with Channel 4’s. The city does things differently and is fiercely independent. The city is not afraid to challenge authority, stand up to the status quo and make trouble.”

Richard Caborn, chair of Sheffield’s Channel 4 Bid, said: “We want to take this opportunity to reiterate our offer to partner with Channel 4 to create a new National Screen Industries Institute for digital talent and technology.

“We are working with the public and private sector, converging the technologies of the creative industries with digital to establish a National Screen Institute in the city. Through this we can provide a platform to do something similar in the creative and digital industries to the work we have done with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.”