BROADCASTER POLL PRODUCTION 100
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making. “Gloriously quick” is how one producer describes ITV with others also pointing to the “speed of decisions” and “quick answers.” ITV is also highly praised for the clarity of its vision with producers saying it is “always clear and straight-forward” and that it has “the most focused understanding of what works for their audience and are great at communication.” Others praise the broadcaster’s “accessibility” and “unbureaucratic” nature that makes it easy to get ideas heard. Money is also a plus for many with producers praising its “decent development budgets.” It’s not all plain sailing though
with one producer saying the broadcaster “feels like a closed shop” to some.
netflix It’s a sign of the changing nature of the broadcast landscape that Netflix rises to third position in our poll of the best broadcasters to deal with (and joint fourth in the worst) after not figuring in the list significantly at all last year. Producers rate the streamer
for being “miles ahead of the competition in terms of being a facilitating and proactive partner” and for being “pleasant to deal with, efficient and professional.” Others point to the
company’s “understanding of production and business” and praise it for giving “clear guidance and feedback on ideas” while having a “light, supportive touch in post production.” Another indie says of Netflix “They interrogate the creative but once they have put their faith in you and the idea they generally follow the producer’s recommendations. It’s an exciting company which favours quick and clean decision making.” But not all feedback is
positive with some bemoaning the “lack of clarity and transparency” while others say the stampede by producers bearing ideas to Netflix means “getting traction on an idea is extremely difficult – they’re inundated with ideas from just about every production company in the world so the odds on a commission are long and, it seems, as more and more production companies pitch to them, getting longer.”
channel 4 Channel 4 is voted the fourth best broadcaster to deal with but also the second worst this time. First the good news. Channel
4 is picked out by indies for being “collaborative and editorially helpful from a production perspective” with others also pointing to its “supportive production management” and say that during difficult times it “recognises the need to support the production community in a wider sense.” However, the broadcaster
comes in for hefty criticism too. The advertising downturn has hit Channel 4 budgets with indies describing it as “penny pinching.” But it’s decision making that comes in for most criticism with indies saying it has “frightened inexperienced commissioning editors” and “too many layers of commissioning” and “confusing briefs and commissioners that don’t reply to emails.” Others also point to a lack of the power to say yes: “Too many layers leads to group thinking and commissioning editors second guessing and being poor execs rather than good commissioning editors.” Others point to a lack of distinctiveness too: “The brand of the channel is diluted,” says one indie, “they seem to have totally lost their sense of identity and direction” says another
Autumn 2020 P20
adding “their biggest show was poached from the BBC, their biggest new entertainment commission was poached from UKTV and their biggest recent factual series have been an acquisition from Australia.”
sky Sky is considered the fifth best customer this time for being “prompt, collaborative and open to early discussions” for having a “straightforward commissioning team” that makes “quick decisions on recommissions” as well as for being “very positive.” One indie says of Sky that the company “supported us in every way throughout the pandemic. Super clear steers in commissioning and very collaborative during every part of the process.”
channel 5 Channel 5 is voted sixth best broadcaster to deal but also the third worst with opinion on the broadcaster as a customer both strong and divided. Channel 5 is widely
praised for being “simple and straightforward to deal with and when something works they will order in bulk.” Others praise it for “working quickly, responsively and with lower levels of red- tape than most. They know their audience and know exactly what they want.” Others too laud it for its “willingness to trust indies in both development and production and don’t meddle. They have a good sense of their audience which is backed up by their ratings.” On the
They have a good sense of their audience which is backed up by their ratings
negative side though, indies say Channel 5’s “budgets are so small for what they want” whole “putting all the risk on the production companies.” Channel 5 is also criticised for “difficult deal terms” and an “unreasonable and unempathetic business affairs unit” That has a “put up or shut up attitude.”
televisual.com
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