Channel 4 Daytime - Commissioning information

Channel 4 Daytime - Commissioning News

What do Channel 4 Daytime want to fund? A Cornwall Media Focus member reports o­n a recent P-MP event.

Speaker: Mark Downie, Deputy Controller of Daytime Channel 4

The morning started with a selection of Ch4 daytime extracts.

Mark looks after the following:

• Daytime (3.15pm – 6pm. ½ hour slots & 1 hour slots between 4-5pm)
• Breakfast
• Short films

Daytime

• Average age is 55 years and they want to embrace the older audience.
• The ethos is risk taking and adventure – think of the film Calender Girls when they take their clothes off! “We like to think of this as the ‘Ch4 moment’” MD
• But programmes should not be exclusive to the older viewer
• Daytime rates very well especially entertainment, leisure and lifestyle with an element of transformation – lots of reality programmes
• What is underrepresented is travel & food
• Avoid property, drama, hobbies & crafts, antiques & auctions, gardens
• Looking for big shows which can be played throughout daytime schedule year over year Monday-Friday 25-30 parts. Also looking for shows that could run all year long.
• 25k per ½ hour & 50k per 1 hour
• If they like an idea may pay full budget for ½ hour pilot or £5-10K for rough version to see if format works
• multi channels have risen by 33% in daytime viewing which means that Ch4 daytime are struggling to keep the viewers so they are very keen to reinvent themselves with new programmes
• Currently the most successful show is the Paul O’Grady Show which was a surprise hit.
• Ch4 want to entertain and amuse people in the afternoon

Breakfast

• Looking for new shows for the 16-34 year olds which is different from the opposition and whats been done before, Not another Big Breakfast (fingers burnt with RISE) rather ½ hour or 1hr shows to mix / match with others.
• Want to include more sport shows maybe within the context of a larger show which may not be sport based

Short Films

• Looking for series of short films 5-15 mins in length, 5-10 programmes which can be played throughout the day, not time specific with multiple play.
• Human interest stories, insights to extraordinary lives that people wouldn’t otherwise meet
• The stories need to be able to sustain an audience throughout – what they are looking for is fillers that can keep the viewer watching the channel till the next programme
• Interested in history, arts, natural world, popular science
• The title must set up the premise instantly with a revealation/pay off at the end
• No obscure or esoteric ideas
• 15k per programme
  1 day shoots
• If interested in pitching ideas use the 4 producers website to submit the idea. 4 week response turn around
• There are a number of ways if they like an idea:

Pilots:

1) tx pilots (20-30k per ½ hour)
2) taster tape (5-10k just basic format based to see if it works)

• If a pilot is already made you can send them in
• Don’t send ideas to him directly just use 4 producers website
• Rolling basis commissions
• Also looking for new talent (ie presenters, new faces)