Channel 5 president calls US ownership ‘a revelation’

Channel 5 president Sarah Rose has said being owned by US company Paramount has been “a revelation” because it has allowed the channel to scale UK operations and make more British content.  

Speaking at the VLV conference today, Rose said she was proud of the evolution of the channel’s output over the past decade of US ownership.  

“When they bought Channel 5, there were 200 UK productions on the channel each year but last year there were 400,” she said.  

“We have moved away from acquisitions rather than towards them because British audiences want to see British content, and that works on a commercial level.

”Our US owners have allowed us to continue not because we create IP that drives other Paramount services but because they can see us working. As long as we keep working, they will continue to support us. I have found that to be a revelation.” 

She added that next year Paramount will “invest in us more than ever”, suggesting the US management “a tiny bit wide-eyed” at the amount of bang for their buck Channel 5 is returning.  

Rose said she “maintains her optimism” that the rise of British-centric content will continue following SkyDance’s £6bn takeover of Paramount over the summer.

She is finding conversations with management “very straightforward,” which is “helped by the fact we are returning profits to them”.  

“I’m not losing sleep about being left by the wayside. I’m finding them curious and envious of our model. As long as I am in this job, I will only do anything that strengthens our position as a public service channel,” she added.   

The C5 president pointed to other benefits of being housed within a corporation that “spends lot of money” in the UK market on high-end TV series and blockbuster movies, including the potential to spend more on grassroots talent and smaller indies.  

“This money must not be a circus coming into town bringing the talent with it and going off back to LA,” she said. 

“We need to ensure there is spend and action taken in the regions with some longevity to it. We need to strengthen skills and education and small indies for talent development.

”I feel very motivated, as does Ben [Frow], to play our part and marry up a bit of the UK-centric PSB model with the Hollywood market.”