Almost half of spend devoted to daytime programming by Channel 4 in the final quarter of this year is set to be seen in Scotland.
Forty per cent of the extra £2.5 million earmarked for the broadcaster's daytime schedule during the last three months of this year is to be spent north of the Border, chief creative officer, Jay Hunt, today revealed.
The announcement comes as Hunt – who last year joined the channel after a spell as BBC One controller – prepares to travel north to Glasgow in the next month to hold talks with leading independent TV production companies.
Speaking to allmediascotland.com at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, Hunt underlined the channel's committment to Scotland's “vibrant” production sector.
Asked how important the country remains to Channel 4 and its output, Hunt said: “Incredibly important. We've got an office here obviously so we take that really seriously.
“I am coming up in the next couple of weeks to do a big briefing for Scottish indies. We've put a huge amount of investment up here and the vast proportion of the new money we've put into daytime is going into Scotland.
“But we're actively looking for new suppliers who can pitch into the heart of peak as well which is why I'm coming up here to talk to people.”
And asked of her thoughts concerning the Scottish sector, she added: “I find it really vibrant. I think it is particulary good in the factual area and I wouldn't hesitate to commission factual programmes out of Scotland.
“I think there are some really good suppliers there and we're actively trying to build those relationships so that they feel more confident delivering into peak.”
