Welsh TV companies call for more Channel 4 programmes to be made outside London

Martin Shipton

Independent TV production companies in Wales have called on Ofcom to increase the proportion of programmes Channel 4 must make outside London.

The call – from the companies’ trade group TAC, comes as the regulator considers renewing Channel 4’s licence for a further 10 years.

Having fended off a plan by the former Conservative UK Government, Ofcom must decide what obligations to impose on the public service broadcaster.

Consultation

Launching a consultation process on its proposals, Ofcom said: “In December 2023, we proposed new terms for Channel 4’s licence. In setting new obligations, we are aiming to secure the delivery of the core aspects of Channel 4’s PSB [public service broadcasting] delivery and its ongoing commercial sustainability.

“Deciding on the level of the quotas for production outside England is an important part of the new Channel 4 licence. We are seeking to set these quotas at an appropriate level to support production outside England, to contribute to a diverse range of programmes that reflect the lives and interests of communities across the UK, and to ensure Channel 4 has enough flexibility over the coming licence period to deliver a successful digital transformation in order that it can continue to reach audiences.

“Having carefully considered responses to that consultation – and having engaged further with stakeholders and sought additional information from Channel 4 on its nations and regions production, as well as updated financial information – we are now proposing to increase its programme production requirements outside of England.

“Specifically, we are proposing that from 2030, in each calendar year, at least 12% of the hours of programmes made in the UK for viewing on the Channel 4 service must be produced outside England; and at least 12% of its expenditure on programmes made in the UK for viewing on the Channel 4 service must be allocated to the production of programmes outside England.”

The consultation runs until August 16, with a decision expected in the Autumn.

‘Out-of-London quota’

Dyfrig Davies, Chair of Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru (TAC), representing independent TV production companies in Wales, said: “While any increase in spending in the nations is positive, given Ofcom is simultaneously proposing a fall in Channel 4’s overall spend on its core channel, this is unlikely to make any real impact.

“Ofcom needs to require Channel 4 to go much further than this measure alone. With around 50 companies here in Wales, we are in a good position to engage more with Channel 4 and have correspondingly argued for its 50% voluntary out-of-London quota to be made mandatory. We have also called for it to have required spend in each UK nation, in line with the BBC’s requirements. We therefore hope Ofcom will increase Channel 4’s out-of-London requirements in line with this.”

A statement from Creative Wales, the Welsh Government’s creative industries body, said the figure and start date of 2030 was not an “acceptable position” for the nation.

The statement added: “We were part of a widespread call for a 16% increase to give substance to the channel’s claim that celebrating regional diversity is a core pillar of its purpose, and so the regulator’s suggestion falls far short of our expectations as a nation.”

Minimum spend

Pact, the UK trade sector trade body, and other stakeholders have spent months urging Ofcom to lift the PSB’s mandated minimum spend and production hours across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from its current level of 9% to 16%, as well as individual quotas for each of the three nations, akin to those followed by the BBC.

Pact stated that there was an “opportunity for Ofcom to mitigate the impacts” of C4’s new ability to produce an uncapped portion of its own programming.

It also expressed concern that the 12% figure “could put the BBC’s nations budget under further pressure”, leading to a strain on the wider UK broadcasting ecosystem due to C4’s “equally important” role in developing and maintaining the production sector.

John Mc Vay, chief executive of Pact, said: “Ofcom’s proposal to increase Channel 4’s nations quotas by only 3 per cent to 12 per cent is deeply disappointing. This is a missed opportunity at a time when producers are struggling across the board. The quotas are a key intervention to maintaining a healthy and vibrant PSB system which can reflect different voices of people across the UK. The decision risks this much needed diversity.’’

Richard Williams, chief executive of Northern Ireland Screen, said he was “extremely disappointed” with Ofcom’s proposal and hoped that it is not a “cynical done deal”.

He also said the deferral for the increase to come into effect from 2030 (rather than 2025 when the PSB’s new licence begins), “speaks volumes” for Ofcom and C4’s enthusiasm to embrace the increase.