Industry impact from slowdown in commissioning

On Friday Channel 4’s daytime magazine show Steph’s Pack Lunch bowed out.

It had modest ratings, despite a loyal audience, so it was perhaps an inevitable decision. Even in the best of times, decisions are taken to move resources about.

Corporately though, it was a significant part of Channel 4’s industry strategy. It helped to rebuild the capacity for live daily production in Leeds.

The money saved by ending the show will go into other out of London commissions.

But there will be no direct replacement in the schedules.  This could prove to be a sign of things to come. It looks as if Channel 4 will no longer have any first-run programming before Countdown at 2.10pm.

As Steph and her colleagues prepared for their last few shows, Ofcom launched its consultation on Channel 4’s next operating licence.

It will run from January 2025 along with the new licences for ITV 1 and Channel 5.

The new licence would allow a substantial reduction in the proportion of the linear schedule devoted to first-run original content.

The aim is to allow the channel to focus resources on the content which makes the most impact.

Channel 4 – with a particular focus on young audiences – is even more concerned than other broadcasters with its online service.

The new licence could, conceivably, mean a big reduction in original daytime content. Whether this actually happens, of course, would depend on market conditions.

You could also make a case that a repeat of a good peaktime programme in the afternoon is preferable to the 764th episode of A Place in the Sun or yet more Come Dine with Me. It’s all subjective.

But what is more worrying is the impact of an overall slowdown in commissioning.

A combination of inflation and disappointing ad revenue means broadcasters are commissioning less. Inevitably they are focusing resources on the parts of the schedule which are the most lucrative or important.

For viewers this simply means more repeats. For the great many people in the TV industry who are freelancers or engaged in short-term contracts it is much more worrying.

It is not hard to find tales in media circles about freelancers finding work outside the industry. There is a fear that some good people may be lost to it.

Broadcasting is a brilliant industry to work in for those with secure employment and freelancers able to gain a secure flow of work – usually those with a lot of experience and a good reputation who can sometimes even pick and choose their work.

For those further down, especially younger or less experienced people, it can be much harder – especially if they cannot rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad.

This is not just a worry in commercial broadcasting.

The lower-than-expected rise in the TV licence will inevitably lead to more tough choices for the BBC.

The changes to BBC One’s morning schedule in a few weeks to extend Breakfast and Morning Live make creative sense and are good news for viewers.

But it also means there will be fewer slots to fill before 1pm – there will be three 45-minute shows, one of which is Bargain Hunt. Could this lead to bad news for indies and freelancers?

It is the BBC’s job to serve its viewers – not independent production companies – but it would be wrong to dismiss this risk out of hand.

It will be interesting to see what the effect of the planned extension to the BBC News at One will be on the amount of commissioning in the afternoon. Will the axing of Doctors be the only move?

In 1975, a BBC cash crisis led to the end of a fledgling afternoon schedule on BBC One. Back then, virtually all programmes were made by staff and few in the industry would have lost out personally.

Today, economic problems, consumer trends and BBC financial woes threaten to combine to reduce the amount of daytime TV commissioning.

Industry freelancers could be the losers.

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