Channel 4 Sets “Creative Contract” to Foster Relationships with Producers

Channel 4 is introducing five commitments as part of a new “creative contract” in an effort to strengthen its relationship with producers.

“We believe the relationship between Channel 4 and producers is key to the channel’s success,” the broadcaster said. “We want it to be a genuine creative partnership.”

The broadcaster is pledging that its commissioning teams will aim to respond to a producer’s initial proposal within ten working days with an indication of the next steps. Though in the scripted genres, it may take longer in order to give “more detailed” constructive feedback.

Channel 4 is reducing the maximum period of time it can take to make a decision on a funded development from nine months to six months in non-scripted genres. “In general, we’ll try to do it quicker. And for developments of under £20,000 that we choose not to commission, we won’t try to recover the money if you place it elsewhere.”

Once a project is greenlit, Channel 4’s commissioning and commercial affairs teams will work closely to minimize the time it takes between the conditional decision and getting the Ed Spec, budget and commissioning agreement finalized.

“We want our commissioning team to be the most creative, skilled and collaborative in the business,” the broadcaster said. So, in 2019, the plan is to launch a new training program for all new commissioners and provide ongoing training for existing teams.

The broadcaster said it’s committed to sharing more audience insight and performance data to help producers “focus development strategically” to reach their target audience.

“We want your businesses to flourish and achieve global success with C4 as a partner, and we’ll do all we can to help achieve that,” the broadcaster continued. “We always want to receive your candid feedback on how you find working with us, and how we can work together most creatively and productively.”