View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Channel 4 promises more documentaries

By Press Gazette

Press Gazette blog: latest news from the Edinburgh TV Festival

Channel 4 is to overhaul its schedules, investing in documentaries and educational programming, moving a raft of factual entertainment programmes to its digital offshoots or off the channel altogether.

Kevin Lygo, Channel 4’s director of television and content, said in a speech at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, that the broadcaster would clear the schedule of ratings hits such as Celebrity Big Brother to make way for programmes that would better serve its public service remit.

Lygo said this would inevitably mean a fall in ratings. ‘We are prepared for this and strongly believe it is the right thing to do. Much better to be an interesting channel at 8 per cent than a less interesting one at 10 per cent.”

He reiterated the broadcaster’s commitment to news and current affairs through its public service ethos and said its news programmes scheduled in peak time ‘offer greater analysis than competitor bulletins on other channels and tackle subject matter, particularly international affairs, that other channels devote less time to.”

‘The point is that we are determined to open up space for argument,’he added.

Lygo also underlined his support for the Dispatches programme Undercover Mosque which is under investigation by Ofcom for alleged distortion of viewpoints within the edition.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Lygo said it was ‘a fantastic piece of first rate journalism which has been completely vindicated”.

Channel 4 is currently seeking over £100 million of public money and if it didn’t get public service money – Lygo said the first thing to go would be serious investigative journalism – news, current affairs programming. ‘It would be a different channel and not nearly as interesting.’

Press Gazette blog: latest news from the Edinburgh TV Festival

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network