UNDER A NEW STRATEGY, LAUNCHED IN MAY, THE BROADCASTER UNVEILED HOW IT WOULD START TO DEVELOP IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES WITH A SEPARATE COMPANY FOCUSED ON "ENTERTAINMENT, REALITY

AND ENTERTAINMENT GENRES WITH INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL" SION MORGAN Head of Audience and CHARLOTTE MCLAUGHLIN PA SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER 15:05, 03 Jun 2025 Channel 4 has been

called "ridiculous" for planning to set up an in-house production arm by a boss at leading studio company Sony. Under a new strategy, launched in May, the broadcaster unveiled how

it would start to develop in-house production capabilities with a separate company focused on "entertainment, reality and entertainment genres with international potential". Wayne

those "who run in-house production businesses" know that when you start "you lose money for the first three years". He claimed that Channel 4 is doing this without owning

many intellectual rights or having an "institutional knowledge of how to run a production business". Mr Garvie said: "It could be potentially disastrous for Channel 4,

because it's got limited resources. It's got to adapt to a change in (the) broadcast market." Article continues below However, he did praise outgoing Channel 4 chief executive

Alex Mahon with helping the broadcaster continue, but pointed out that even with "good people" it is going to take half a decade to make money. Mr Garvie said the UK having

multiple public broadcasters is "unsustainable", and added: "The future has got to be, surely, Channel 4 and the BBC coming together, and that should be the focus for a new

chair of Channel 4 (who replaces Sir Ian Cheshire)." Responding later in the day, Ms Mahon said: "Wayne was a bit excitable this morning, wasn't he?" She added: "The

good news is that Channel 4 has a sensible, modest, intelligent plan for in-house production, but I do agree with Wayne that it's not easy... to be a producer." Ms Mahon also

dismissed a "coming together" of the BBC and Channel 4, saying the UK has "such a strong public service broadcasting ecosystem" because of the "plurality and

competition". She added: "I think there are ways that we should all operate together, and Freely is the best example of that, but we also shouldn't believe that by popping us

all together in one service, we would end up with more impact on the audience." Netflix's vice president of content for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Larry Tanz,

dismissed that the streaming giant would not have commissioned Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, at the event, which is hosted by Enders Analysis and Deloitte at Convene Sancroft in the St

Paul's area. "(Vice president of UK Content at Netflix) Anne Mensah, and her team in the UK, commissioned Adolescence, Baby Reindeer and Toxic Town for the UK audience first and

foremost," he said. "Maybe I can finally put that to rest here and say we absolutely would have commissioned Mr Bates in the UK if we had the opportunity, we think our audience

would have loved it." Article continues below It follows Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky, who has pushed for a levy on streaming companies to finance public broadcasters, which

include ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Mr Kosminsky told the BBC Two current affairs programme Newsnight that Adolescence, which explores themes such as incel culture and bullying and

has been a global hit for Netflix, is a "fantastic programme", but the streaming giant would not make the show if it was not successful outside the UK. He claimed that streamers

would not make issue-led dramas such as Mr Bates Vs The Post Office and Hillsborough as they are too British-focused, and voiced concerns that public broadcasters do not have the money to

finance such commissions.