Convergent Media Causing Shakeup at Channel 4 in UK - Broadcaster Restructuring for the Future

written by: Richard Kastelein

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Published on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 06:33

Maisie McCabe from campaignlive.co.uk, has written a revealing piece at on how media convergence is affecting one broadcaster - Channel 4 in the UK... who is slashing it's senior management by one quarter and combining its commissioning and creative activities into a single cross-platform content division.

Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham told campaignlive.co.uk:

"We are going further than any other broadcaster has yet gone to fully integrate our commissioning and content teams as we anticipate the tipping point in the convergence of television with other media. We need to fundamentally evolve the way we work in response to this convergence, becoming leaner, more efficient and blending a multi-platform approach into the centre of the organisation, rather than leaving ‘new' media in its own isolated silo."

Channel 4 will now now merge its commissioning and creative teams into a single cross-platform division led by a yet-to-be-hired Chief Creative Officer (CCO), combining the roles of director of TV and content and head of Channel 4. Julian Bellamy will act as CCO while the company headhunts for a replacement and has been invited to apply for the role.

There is also a new role slated for 'Director of Audience Technologies and Insight' that is the first technology-based customer relations position in the executive team and the new position will oversee all activities relating to research, data capture and database management analysis and its commercial use throughout Channel 4.