Channel 4 to axe 300 jobs in biggest round of layoffs in its 43-year history: The Guardian

Channel 4 is preparing to cut up to 325 jobs, or around a quarter of its workforce, in the biggest round of layoffs in the British broadcaster's 43-year history as it seeks to reduce costs amid a challenging advertising market.

Chief executive Priya Dogra, who took over from Alex Mahon in March, is due to address staff at an all-hands meeting on Wednesday on a wide-ranging review of the broadcaster's strategy and structure, The Guardian reports.

Channel 4's headcount rose to 1,276 in 2025 following an expansion across the UK, it said.

Multiple sources said the savings being sought, including efficiencies elsewhere in the business, equate to around 300 to 325 roles, although final numbers have yet to be decided.

Staff are expecting the cuts to be “brutal”, according to one source, with London likely to be a major focus.

The broadcaster only last year met its target of increasing its workforce in the nations and regions to 600.

Two years ago, Mahon announced 200 job cuts, then the biggest reduction in more than 15 years, after staff numbers reached a record 1,350 during the worst television advertising downturn since 2008. Channel 4's wage bill, which stood at £108 million at the time, has since risen to £122 million.

The broadcaster currently employs 255 full-time equivalent staff in commercial roles, 423 in creative positions, 542 in operations and 56 at its 4Talent arm.

Dogra is also expected to change Channel 4's content and commissioning strategy. The broadcaster had a £640 million programming budget last year, including £480 million for British original content.

She is understood to want fewer commissions but more heavily funded programmes with greater marketing support, following a model she used during her time at Sky and Warner Bros Discovery.

However, the overall restructuring is intended to limit cuts to the content budget.

Channel 4 reported a £10 million pre-tax loss last year, its third consecutive annual deficit, following losses of £12 million in 2024 and £52 million in 2023. Revenue fell 1 percent to £1.03 billion, while advertising revenue declined 2 percent.

Around 90 percent of Channel 4's revenue comes from advertising, leaving it particularly exposed to competition from digital platforms such as YouTube.

An Enders Analysis report in May said Channel 4's cash reserves had fallen £69 million to £49 million at the end of last year, their lowest level in more than 20 years.

In July, Channel 4 secured government approval to access £75 million of the remaining half of its £150 million revolving credit facility. The state-owned but commercially funded broadcaster said it intended to use the facility to protect liquidity and manage risks linked to the economic and geopolitical environment and its ongoing transformation.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said the broadcaster was reviewing its strategic direction and the “structure, shape and size” of the organisation, adding that staff would be informed first of any organisational changes.

The announcement comes as candidates for the newly created director of programmes role are expected to undergo first-round interviews with Dogra this week.