Channel 4 has unveiled its commissioning structure for the post-Ian Katz era, with Louisa Compton and Kiran Nataraja handed big promotions.
Coming into force in November, the set-up under new CEO Priya Dogra will see Chief Content Officer Katz’s replacement take on a Director of Programmes role and sit alongside Director of News, Digital and Audience Trust Compton and Director of Content Strategy Nataraja, both of whom take on these newly-created roles. Compton is currently Head of Current Affairs, Specialist Factual & Sport, and Nataraja is Director of Streaming & Content Strategy.
Compton plus Katz’s replacement will have editorial ownership of their areas, defining the overall vision from a creative, editorial and brand perspective and responsible for overall strategy and talent development, Channel 4 said. Meanwhile, Nataraja will ensure that the commissioning system “operates with clarity and discipline and delivers on overall performance.”
The two new roles plus Director of Programmes will report to Dogra, effectively meaning Channel 4 now has a trio of decision-makers at the top commissioning table.
Both Compton and Nataraja are highly rated executives and were leading internal candidates to take on Katz’s role, but this new structure appears to suggest neither will become Director of Programmes. The remaining top internal candidate for Katz’s lucrative gig is docs and factual entertainment chief Alisa Pomeroy, while leading external candidates include Paramount UK and Channel 5 commissioning chief Ben Frow, Destination X producer David Brindley and Banijay UK CEO Patrick Holland.
Compton has also been rumored to be taking on the top job at BBC News, a vacancy that has been open since Deborah Turness resigned over the Donald Trump scandal. Today’s news may well confirm she is remaining at Channel 4. She made headlines last year when she branded Netflix “TV tourists” for poaching talent nurtured by Channel 4 to make Adolescence.
Katz is Channel 4’s longest-serving Chief Content Officer and will leave the network in November. He is in the midst of a tricky final few months managing the fallout of the Married at First Sight scandal, which has two reviews reporting back soon.
Dogra said: “Independent producers are at the heart of Channel 4, and this new model is about giving them greater clarity and building deeper partnerships in how we work together. With incredibly strong creative leadership and clear accountability across our portfolios, we can back the best ideas with confidence and deliver distinctive programmes that cut through. Both Louisa and Kiran are outstanding leaders and well respected for their craft, and I’m confident that they – alongside the Director of Programmes – will make sure Channel 4 programming remains as distinctive, as relevant and as rebellious as ever, wherever and however our audiences watch.”
