[Stooky Bill]

Catsdown has been produced a long time in advance of broadcast for a long while.

It's an easy thing to pause because not only do they always have some on the shelf, and they're pretty timeless. But also because it's essentially a spin off of something else and made by two big production companies it'll be fairly easy to restart when the time comes

[JMT1985]

Not sure if they have a quota but they offer by far the least new content of the commercial PSBs currently. Probably about six hours a day, with less on Saturdays. ITV has eight hours before C4 even show their first original programme of the day.

I do think some of these stories are just fairly standard production decisions which become caught up with the stories of C4 struggling as not that unusual for some shows to record a significant number of episodes in advance then not film for over a year, but overall big changes are needed to get the channel out of it's current rutt - and can't see the necessary changes happening under current management.

ITV does offer 8 hours, but note those 8 hours are produced cost effective from two studios with GMB, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women all now produced cost effective in TC2 and TC3 at Television Centre - 7.5 hours done from their sublet studios at Television Centre, with Lunchtime News from ITN studios.

[JMT1985]

Catsdown has been produced a long time in advance of broadcast for a long while.

It's an easy thing to pause because not only do they always have some on the shelf, and they're pretty timeless. But also because it's essentially a spin off of something else and made by two big production companies it'll be fairly easy to restart when the time comes

Also since Jimmy seems to be always on tour throughout the year, having new episodes on the shelf helps, if getting recording dates for Jimmy can be tough, especially in years when he works non stop with tour dates.

[eyeTV]

Not sure if they have a quota but they offer by far the least new content of the commercial PSBs currently. Probably about six hours a day, with less on Saturdays. ITV has eight hours before C4 even show their first original programme of the day.

According to Ofcom: The quotas in Channel 4’s current licence are for at least 56% of programmes broadcast each year to be original productions overall and, in peak viewing times, 70% of programmes to be original productions

[tellyblues]

According to Ofcom: The quotas in Channel 4’s current licence are for at least 56% of programmes broadcast each year to be original productions overall and, in peak viewing times, 70% of programmes to be original productions

If that's from www.ofcom.org.uk  (published Dec 2023), at 5.66 on page 47; The channels can use repeats of their content to fulfil this quota, meaning that the quota does not guarantee the broadcast of first-run original productions.

Other channels operate under similar terms. BBC Scotland has a requirement to show original programming but original just means commissioned at any time for the channel. They could just repeat what they've got and add the other requirement of news and nobody can do anything but moan about repeats.

[Brekkie]

So they could basically produce one hour of content and repeatedly repeat it and technically would make the quota. 70% of new original content in primetime wouldn't feel like too big a stretch (3.5 hours night).

[tellyblues]

Yeah, technically. I think though if it was obvious a channel was abusing a loophole then it would lead to Ofcom stepping in at some point to stop it happening.

[JMT1985]

Yeah, technically. I think though if it was obvious a channel was abusing a loophole then it would lead to Ofcom stepping in at some point to stop it happening.

Well, some might say that would never happen, judging by recent in-actions from Ofcom over other broadcasting issues

[AndyB2008]

Cats Does Countdown the latest to be "paused" with episodes still on the shelf. Hard to think of what's left really!

deadline.com 

Popmaster was on the bubble ref a recommission due to C4's programming issues, but eventually it happened. (Would have been easier to establish the show in daytime first)

More4 are debuting the 2nd series (with the celebrity specials) from Monday at 9pm, getting it out of the way of the BBC2 quiz double. And still a hour. (The lead in is a repeat of Grand Designs, which had the 8pm slot PM got last year).

[tellyblues]

I can understand commissions for other shows being paused because enough new episodes have already been filmed and the numbers aspects of it all but PopMaster is one of the few highlights from C4 last year and although I'm not saying it doesn't cost any money to produce, the idea of some sprayed gold vinyls being considered too much of an expense is laughable.