Survey: C4 best broadcaster for indies
March 21, 2022
A YouGov survey has shown independent production companies rate Channel 4 as the best broadcaster to work with.
The results of the Channel 4 Indie Survey, undertaken by YouGov and which received more than 100 responses, also showed that Channel 4 has consistently improved in its dealings with indies since 2019.
Channel 4 received the highest score from indies for the overall experience of working with a broadcaster or content provider. More than two thirds of respondents (68 per cent) gave Channel 4 a score between 7-10 out of ten, up more than 20 per cent on the previous survey’s results. And it revealed that Channel 4 is making an impact where it matters – with smaller, independent production companies. Some 74 per cent of respondents were independent rather than being part of a group and more than half had a turnover of less than £5 million. Nearly half, 46 per cent, had their head office outside of London.
Speaking on the eve of Channel 4’s unscripted indie briefings, Emma Hardy, Director of Commissioning Operations, said: “We’ll take valuable learnings from the survey results but to have seen consistent progress over the past two years shows we are moving in the right direction and speaks volumes about the changes we’ve introduced and the hard work of the commissioning teams who have made huge efforts to improve the experience for indies when dealing with Channel 4. It’s particularly pleasing that the majority of responses are from smaller, independent production companies which are exactly the types of businesses Channel 4 should be nurturing. “
Nearly three quarters of responses (74 per cent) came from the most senior people in the business at CEO, Managing Director or Creative Director level.