With more than half of U.K. homes expecting to watch TV exclusively via broadband by 2030, it “will bring live and on-demand content together all in one place for free, ensuring that TV remains relevant and accessible to audiences of all ages.”
Channel 4 is drawing up plans to cut potentially as many as 200 jobs in its biggest round of layoffs in more than 15 years, as it seeks to make savings to weather the worst TV advertising downturn since 2008. The broadcaster, which has undergone a rapid expansion in recent years with staff numbers swelling to a record level of more than 1,200, aims to dramatically reduce a wage bill that now stands at more than £108 million a year.
The British broadcasters are collaborating on a landmark free TV service that will deliver live television over broadband. Freely is being organized by Everyone TV, the organization that runs Freeview in the U.K. and is jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.