“Edinburgh Faces Financial and Temporal Challenges in Healthcare Crisis”

A trio of leading figures in British television has declared that there are too many production companies, creating an unsustainable environment. This consensus emerged during a major panel discussion at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Banijay UK’s Patrick Holland, “It’s a Sin” executive producer Nicola Shindler, and BBC iPlayer/channels head Dan McGolpin all agreed that the current volume of work cannot support the existing number of independent production companies. “You can’t sugarcoat it,” McGolpin said. “There aren’t enough money and hours to keep everyone alive.”

Holland commented that the sheer number of production companies doesn’t match the available hours of content, while Shindler noted that talented individuals are being overlooked. This concern has been a recurring topic at past Edinburgh panels, but this year, the issue felt particularly pressing.

The discussion explored the challenges of risk aversion, the influence of streaming services, and the evolving workforce in the multi-billion-pound industry. Edinburgh Exec Chair Fatima Salaria passionately advocated for maintaining diversity in British TV, warning against a market dominated by premium content. “You will end up with an elite class of people making elite, high-class premium factual and drama,” Salaria said, “They will be the winners, and the BBC or Channel 4 values could end up on cable.”

Salaria, who recently joined “The Responder” indie Dancing Ledge, highlighted the ‘middle’ of the market falling out, resulting in “winners and losers.” She suggested that traditional broadcasters might need to collaborate on a unified content platform to preserve public service broadcasting (PSB) values. She expressed concerns about the sustainability of models reliant on national events, citing worries over the license fee and potential audience attrition.

Banijay’s Holland disagreed with the notion that audiences only tune in for major events. He highlighted that audiences still flock to public service content, and the prominence of this content remains vital, despite a downturn in the middle of the market. Holland mentioned collaborations with producers to explore new avenues to revitalize the workforce.

Shindler pointed out the pressure for shows to be larger and more ambitious, a challenge amid the current market contraction. She suggested a return to creating cost-effective TV and argued that current shows are no more exceptional than those made with less funding in the past.

McGolpin observed that successful TV brands can be created at various budget levels, using “Gardeners’ World” as an example of a lower-cost show drawing significant viewership. He argued that the middle ground should not be neglected and that compelling content is still possible without hefty budgets.

Nicola Howson, producer of “Beckham,” added that traditional production companies need to improve their marketing strategies. Drawing from her PR background, she emphasized that effective marketing can make a significant difference in a show’s success. Howson called on traditional producers to explore alternative revenue streams, learning from creators on platforms like YouTube. She noted that many traditional TV productions have redundancies in their crews, unlike more streamlined YouTube productions.

Regarding YouTuber Mr. Beast’s “Beast Games,” which is being produced in collaboration with Amazon, panel host Ros Atkins mentioned the show’s “teething troubles” and safety concerns. Prime Video UK MD Chris Bird redirected the discussion, insisting that the show will be a massive hit.

Atkins, known for his succinct digital videos, opened the session with an overview of the current industry landscape, calling it a “new era.” The panel at Edinburgh included other notable figures like Warren Littlefield, will.i.am, and Netflix’s Anne Mensah, who were slated to speak later.