Duncan
The outgoing head of U.K. web Channel 4 has thrown in the towel over a tie-up with BBC Worldwide, the pubcaster’s commercial arm, which he hoped would help solve Channel 4’s “funding gap.”
Andy Duncan, who leaves as Channel 4’s CEO at the end of the year, believed a joint venture involving digital services such as E4 and the UKTV channels, owned by Worldwide and Virgin Media, would help secure Channel 4’s future in an all-digital world.
“The BBC struggles to be a good partner and is a very complicated organization. It’s naturally an empire that likes to do everything itself and control things. Whereas Channel 4 is naturally a very good partner,” he told the Daily Telegraph in London.
“We are hopeful that some smaller deals can be struck with Worldwide, but I think any progress will now happen next year, when a new chief executive and chairman of Channel 4 have been installed.”
Duncan’s inability to seal a partnership with BBC Worldwide is likely to increase pressure on Channel 4’s new management to cut costs further and devise a viable commercial strategy that will enable the broadcaster to maintain its reputation for creative innovation.
A chairman replacing U.K. entrepreneur Luke Johnson is due to be appointed this week by regulator Ofcom.
Once in place, the chairman’s first task will be finding a successor to Duncan, a maverick figure whose lengthy campaign to win a public subsidy for the hybrid pubcaster also failed.
However, Channel 4’s program portfolio is widely regarded as being in good shape.
Among those considered potential candidates to take over the CEO’s role are Warner Bros. U.K. topper Josh Berger and the head of UKTV, David Abraham. Also being mentioned is the former head of Discovery Channel, Jane Root.
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