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Channel 4 announces creative overhaul

Valerie | 27 Aug 2009, 10:20

As we bid farewell to Big Brother – the long running show that turned reality TV into a global phenomenon, the final series of which will be broadcast next year – Channel 4 has indicated it will use the axing as an opportunity for the biggest creative overhaul in its 25-year history.

The Guardian reports that with up to 200 hours of peak-time airtime to fill from 2011 on the main network and digital entertainment service E4, the broadcaster will now focus on an overhaul of the programming lineup and a refocus on its public service broadcasting remit, including allocating an extra £20m a year for other TV genres such as drama.

Channel 4’s director of television and content Kevin Lygo said of the decision:

“Big Brother is still profitable for C4 despite its reduced popularity, and there could have been the option to renew it on more favourable terms. That’s what a purely commercial broadcaster would have done, but C4 has a public remit to champion new forms of creativity.”

The Channel 4 announcement comes as senior industry figures from the international television and media industry gather later this week to discuss the future of the sector at the annual Edinburgh Television festival. Issues to be discussed range from finding ways to generate new sources of revenue to the future of public service broadcasting and what opportunities are available for programme makers, channels and brands amidst technological advances and in the current economic climate.

The recession has hit advertising revenues hard, which has fallen steadily from a 2005 peak of £3.85 billion, according to Deloitte’s annual ‘state of the industry’ report. With the decline for 2009 expected to be as much as 17 percent year on year, broadcasters are being forced to re-evaluate their priorities.

Endemol’s chief executive and c&binet ambassador Tim Hincks sees the recession as a trigger to “start thinking slightly bigger picture and about the issues that are swirling round”.  Speaking to the Guardian earlier this week, he said:

“We are feeling the pressure and feeling the pinch. There’s no question that broadcasters’ budgets are down and we are making more for less.

“People are literally thinking about survival and looking for help and looking for ideas”.

What can c&binet achieve?

Andrew | 24 Aug 2009, 14:01

C&binet comment: Siôn Simon, Minister for Creative Industries

What is the point of c&binet?

That is the one of the first questions I put to DCMS civil servants when I was appointed Minister for the Creative Industries in June.

There was a commitment in Creative Britain to develop a World Creative Business Conference as ‘a platform for leaders in the creative and financial sectors to develop a deeper engagement and dialogue’.

Which is great.  But what does it mean?

There is no point in bringing together the best creative people from around the world - in person and online - with just the hope that serendipitous discoveries emerge from the craic.

The c&binet Ambassadors are big players in the sector. The cast list for the forum in October is already looking impressive.

But we still need to be going into the conference prepared to extract from them real value in terms of their thinking on growth and investment in the creative sector globally, and greater reward for creative talent and entrepreneurship.

In the run up to the forum I want to use this space to help define what it is that you in the creative industries want to see happen as a result of the c&binet forum.

The copyright debate rages on. What actually is the best course of action for industry? For governments? For emerging web entrepreneurs?

What is needed to get cash flowing into creative businesses, to attract and sustain investment?

When advertising doesn’t work, what business models do?

What exactly do businesses need to do more of to harness skills and nurture talent - and what should we agree to do less?

What should governments do? If anything?

The point of c&binet is to make progress, to shape change. So let’s get on with it.

Peter Molyneux promoted to Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studios

Valerie | 05 Jun 2009, 12:36

C&binet ambassador and head of Microsoft’s Lionhead Studios Peter Molyneux OBE has been promoted to a new role overseeing all future creative projects in Europe for the Microsoft Games Studio.

According to gamesindustry.biz, as Creative Director, Molyneux will “oversee both creative output from internal studios such as Rare as well as Microsoft’s third party development partners, acting in a leadership role to help ideas come to fruition”. 

Molyneux said he hopes to help foster the passion of individuals and address preconceived ideas about game design by striving for innovation. Earlier this week at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Molyneux’s demonstration of Milo, a virtual boy who can respond to movement, speech and tone of voice was rapturously received by the gaming industry, praised by The Telegraph as “a seminal moment not just in video games, but in technology too”.

With over 20 years of experience with games such as Populous, Syndicate, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper, Black & White and Fable to his name, Microsoft said Molyneux “will bring a unique set of skills and an in-depth understanding of the games development process to this newly created role”.

C&binet nominates the best of the creative economy

Nick | 13 Jan 2009, 15:22

As 2009 kicks off, c&binet ambassadors have been talking about the creative projects that shone in 2008. From Amy Winehouse to Barack Obama, collectively the nominations capture the breadth and scale of creative innovation. Over the next few weeks we’ll be profiling the projects nominated by each of our ambassadors as the best creative landmarks of the past 12 months.

Kicking off the series will be Lucian Grainge.