C4 boosts program funds
Increase due to higher than expected ad revs
A Channel 4 spokesman said the increase is due to higher than expected advertising revenues. The broadcaster is forecasting a 4% increase in its ad coin in 2002. Last year it generated $937 million in ad revenue.
The channel, which is cutting up to 200 jobs, plans to spend less on overheads and more on programming. Chief exec Mark Thompson said he will shortly announce details of the redundancy program.
"Without access to public funding and without private shareholders to fall back on, Channel 4 can only generate additional investment by increasing its revenues or reducing its cost base," said Thompson. "Some jobs will be lost to deliver this fresh investment, but every penny we can transfer from overhead to the screen means a better, richer service to our viewers."
Thompson admitted that Channel 4 had lost its focus and said next year's schedule would be "one of transition." As part of its transformation process, the channel announced three major drama commissions, increasing its original drama output in 2003, excluding soaps, to a record 44 hours.
"Shameless" is the first series for Channel 4 from scriptwriter Paul Abbott ("Clocking Off") and follows two teen brothers and their older sister growing up in Manchester. "Second Generation" chronicles the experiences of two Asian immigrant families in London. A third drama is being made by Tony Garnett's World Productions about four nurses dealing with life, death and institutional lunacy in Leeds.
Other dramas scheduled to air next year include "40," starring Eddy Izzard and Hugo Speer; Tony Garnett's prison drama "Buried" and "20 Things to Do Before You're 30," about four colleagues' "middle youth" crisis.
Other new shows include late night music show "Born Sloppy" hosted by Sara Cox; "Wifeswap," a doc series from the makers of "Faking It" about wives who swap families for 10 days; and "Operatunity," a "Pop Idol"-style format which aims to discover a top amateur opera singer.
