Update with more quotes: UK broadcasters have a responsibility to combat the worst effects of pornography and AI, according to Channel 4’s boss.
While these issues may be considered “a bit outside the remit of a TV company”, Alex Mahon told the Deloitte & Anders Media & Telecom 2023 & Beyond conference that the industry “will always have the power to influence and help, Pointing out where trends and technologies make life better and where they make it worse.” He added, “If we have that power as public service broadcasters, we also have a duty to do so.”
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Unveiling Channel 4 data on the viewing habits of Gen-Zs, Mahon said: “Thinking about the kind of content Gen-Z can access also extends to pornography.”
Alex Mahon. “The algorithms are not written for the benefit of young British people.”
“We cannot ignore the reality that one in 10 UK young people have seen porn by the age of nine and 42% of young people say they believe that girls enjoy physically aggressive sex. takes it,” she said. “Public service media should address this and let young people see depictions of healthy relationships, consent and safe sex.”
On AI, which was a hot topic at today’s conference, Mahon said Gen-Z is the first generation where rapidly evolving technology will be “a major, perhaps dominant, feature of what they read and watch.”
“Those algorithms may be innocent or malicious, but of one thing we can be certain: they are not written for the benefit of young British people and the challenges they face; He has no allegiance to truth or honesty,” she explained.
An example of what broadcasters can do can be seen in double BAFTA-winning Channel 4 drama I’m Ruth said Mahon, which starred Kate Winslet as a mother struggling to deal with her daughter’s depression in the social media age. In a powerful sweeping aside, Winslet used Sunday’s BAFTA acceptance speech to call on “people in power to criminalize harmful content”.
Mahone said i’m ruth Proof that “the reason Hollywood superstars come to us is because we do truly innovative work.”
She took aim at the big budget shows that “aren’t good enough.”
He added, “A lot of shows in the top budget range aren’t very good and we know what they are.” “Spending too much isn’t everything.”
Attracting Gen-Zs
More generally, Mahon described Channel 4’s approach to attracting Gen-Z viewers as “creating programming that informs and educates them about contemporary issues and promotes debate.”
She added that the show should be of disproportionate interest to young viewers in areas such as mental health, gender, sexuality and body image, while reflecting their lives “without any judgement” in the vein of the upcoming drama. Queen.
Mahon said, “While this is public-purpose television, it is not ‘eat your peas’ TV.” “We make shows they want to watch – like It is a sin Or Permission – Because they are entertaining and often funny, whatever other qualities they possess.
Mahon, who played a big role in reversing the privatization of Channel 4, said, “Throughout all the political turmoil the positive was focused on one simple question: ‘Why are we here?’”
in-house production
Since the privatization reversal, Channel 4 has been given a new lease of life and will soon be given the power to produce its own shows and own IP for the first time in its 40-year history.
Talking about the change, Mahon said the key step would be to “avoid the pitfalls” that come with vertical integration.
“We won’t be able to do anything on the scale of ITV Studios and Sky Studios, so it has to be done sensibly,” he added.
Mahon acknowledged that the move would take a very long time. It will be rubber stamped only after the landmark media bill is passed.
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