Broadcast: Talking TV

As TV budgets tighten, does ad-funded programming offer a potential solution? Production companies are increasingly bringing brands in at the inception of a show, and baking advertising in from the beginning in a bid to get projects off the ground. As revealed in today’s episode of Talking TV, ITV alone has jumped from 3 or 4 AFPs a year in 2023 to around 15 this year.
Pete Fergusson, co-founder and chief executive of startup IPX, a company which connects brands with creators, producers, broadcasters and streamers, joins the podcast alongside Bandicoot TV’s own co-founder and creative director Daniel Nettleton, who has just launched the indie’s debut AFP on ITV, and ITV commissioning editor Paula Thomas, who oversees daytime and ad-funded entertainment.
The trio accompany Heather Fallon in exploring the scale of the opportunity available, why producers need to get ‘scrappy’, and how best to work with partners to maximise potential in today’s episode of Talking TV.
In today’s news recap, Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon discuss the still-awaited BBC cuts, a potential partnership between the Beeb and Channel 4 and the findings of this year’s distributor survey which saw BBC Studios take the crown with a major 20% revenue rise.
For all the latest, head to broadcastnow.co.uk

In the news this week:
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/you-and-yours-among-swathe-of-radio-4-cuts/5221206.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/bbc-and-c4-in-talks-over-merged-entity-report/5221190.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-international/bbc-studios-retains-top-spot-as-rivals-stumble/5221047.article

To learn more about Bandicoot TV’s AFP debut:
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/itv/bandicoot-scotland-lands-first-afp-with-itv/5218360.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.

Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s all change in TV land as Channel 4 unveils its new director of programmes and the BBC selects its BBC News director. Marian McHugh and Ellie Kahn join Heather Fallon to discuss all the latest changes and what it means for the two organisations.
Then Heather heads to the Lycett Arms, to talk to the now-pub landlord and comedian Joe Lycett about his love for the chaos of live TV, the show's mishaps and his big pitch to producers for a brand new chat show with a twist.
Later on, Rebecca Cooney talks to Megan Gallagher and Nicola Shindler about hit ITV drama The Blame which in its first fortnight, according the broadcaster, has become the most-watched drama on terrestrial television so far this year. The trio talk about what the show has to say about misogyny and how TV dramas handle depictions of violence against women.

For all the latest, visit broadcastnow.co.uk
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/david-brindley-set-to-be-named-channel-4-director-of-programmes/5221086.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/rachel-jupp-appointed-as-bbc-news-director/5221066.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/joe-lycett-to-play-pub-landlord-in-channel-4-live-return/5218157.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/ratings/the-blame-beats-the-split-up-in-9pm-drama-battle/5220609.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/itv/trail-the-blame-itv1/5219641.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.

Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talking TV returns amid a major shake up at Channel 4, which is cutting more than a quarter of its workforce.
To break down exactly what is happening and how this will impact the industry at large, hosts Heather Fallon and Rebecca Cooney hand over to Broadcast’s resident experts on the matter, Marian McHugh and Chris Curtis to discuss.
The pair cover what the cuts will mean for the incoming director of programmes, how they will impact commissioning budgets moving forward and if fewer, bigger, better can work on Channel 4.
Later on, Rebecca and Heather return to discuss further looming job losses at the BBC as the royal charter review describes the BBC as facing a “fork in the road”. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, with the review also demonstrating enormous good will towards the UK’s British broadcasting corporation. And finally, Heather reveals which celebrity she's backing in the Traitors sweepstake.

Channel 4
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/priya-dogra-new-programmes-director-will-need-to-get-c4-commissioners-working-differently/5220865.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/c4-cuts-voluntary-redundancy-only-open-to-roles-at-risk/5220773.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/channel-4-and-paramount-strike-landmark-advertising-deal/5220419.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/priya-dogra-turned-to-four-lieutenants-to-radically-reshape-c4-content-team/5220331.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/channel-4-cuts-lifestyle-to-remain-standalone-unit-amid-genre-restructures/5220283.article
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/channel-4-to-merge-comedy-and-drama-teams/5220277.article

BBC
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/matt-brittin-confirms-channel-closures-near-to-make-way-for-streaming/5220796.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.

Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join the Talking TV team on the ground at the EICC for what will be the final Edinburgh TV Festival… or will it?
With YouTube taking centre stage this year, the annual event asked the big questions about the health of the UK production ecosystem and crucially, who is contributing to it. The Broadcast team spoke to the festival’s executive chair Fatima Salaria on her hopes for the event as it says goodbye to Edinburgh, as well as key attendees, who tell us what's stood out at the festival, what the atmosphere has been like and their favourite sessions.
We also catch up with former BBC News chief Deborah Turness about her new job.
The TV Festival moves to Manchester next year - but there's a twist! One of the conference’s big open secrets has been the arrival of another Scottish telly event that's been brewing in the background. Former Edinburgh TV Festival creative director Rowan Woods is taking the lead on a new gathering set to take place in the Scottish capital in August next year. Watch this space!

To read the Broadcast team's in-depth coverage of the festival, visit https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/
Here's a few of the stories mentioned in the show:
Pedro Pena's MacTaggart Lecture https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/youtube-emea-boss-hits-back-at-psb-prominence-push/5219803.article
Ben Frow's session: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-5/ben-frow-opens-5-doors-to-comedy/5219753.article
Amol Rajan suggests mutualising the BBC https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/amol-rajan-calls-for-bbc-to-be-mutually-owned-by-public/5219793.article

Manori's piece about the financial realities of YouTube: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-magazine/analysis-can-indies-really-make-money-on-youtube/5219512.article
Heather's profile of RangaBee: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-magazine/funny-business-why-ranga-bee-refuses-to-pick-a-lane/5219530.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.

Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Channel 4 is on the hunt for a new director of programmes after spliting its chief content officer role into three. What kind of person would indies like to see in the role? What should the PSB's content mix look like going forward? What should its digital commissioning priorities be?

For the last episode in the current series, Broadcast's Rebecca Cooney is joined by a panel of C4 suppliers, including Strong Watch co-founder Thom Gulseven, Rockerdale creative director Stu Richards and Curve Media chief executive Camilla Lewis, to answer some of these questions.

Rebecca and Heather Fallon also chat about the latest Creative Diversity Network's Diamond Report, which assesses the industry's progress on diverse hiring.

We'll be back with a special episode for the Edinburgh TV Festival, before our new series in the autumn. In the meantime, you can find more about all the stories we mentioned this week at https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk.

Coverage of the CDN Diamond report: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/diamond-disabled-representation-in-tv-grows/5218943.article
C4.0 commissioner hails ‘convergence’ of digital and traditional TV https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/people/c40-commissioner-hails-convergence-of-digital-and-traditional-tv/5218677.article
C4 appoints headhunter to kickstart director of programmes search https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/c4-appoints-headhunter-to-kickstart-director-of-programmes-search/5218268.article
C4 to split chief content officer role in three https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/c4-to-split-chief-content-officer-role-in-three/5218236.article


Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.

Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.