Nocturnal 
Could The Great British Bake Off end up back on the BBC? Channel 4’s chief executive Priya Dogra says she “wouldn’t rule it out” — sort of.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society London Convention, Dogra said she was open-minded about putting Channel 4 programmes on BBC iPlayer as the broadcaster looks to reach as many viewers as possible. But she was quick to shut down any talk of the two organisations actually joining forces.
Asked whether Channel 4 was serious about teaming up with the BBC, Dogra told delegates: “I don’t see why not.” She added that there were complications to work through, given how Channel 4 makes its money. “There’s lots of considerations because Channel 4 content is monetized by advertising, so iPlayer has to accommodate that,” she said.
Why the idea is on the table
Dogra explained why she likes the concept of a shared streaming home for public service content. “The idea of having a platform that’s British-owned, that showcases public service broadcasting content, particularly content that’s made without profit motive, I think is important,” she said, as first reported by Deadline and confirmed by Reuters.
Her comments echo those of BBC boss Matt Brittin, who said in July that “subscale” Channel 4 needed to work more closely with the corporation. Brittin suggested Channel 4 shows could sit on iPlayer while remaining ad-funded. Sony Pictures Television president Wayne Garvie went further at the same RTS event, arguing Channel 4 will only survive long-term if it becomes part of the BBC’s commercial operations.
“It will be a takeover by the BBC”
Despite the warm words on collaboration, Dogra was blunt about the idea of a full merger. “I don’t want to merge with the BBC because it will be a takeover by the BBC,” she said, according to C21Media.
It was Dogra’s first public appearance since Channel 4 confirmed record layoffs, cutting 340 jobs as part of a wider restructuring. She said the decision wasn’t taken lightly. “Members of our team who contributed enormously to our success are going to be leaving us. These are individual lives, these are livelihoods, and we’re trying to run the process as fairly and transparently as possible,” she told the RTS audience.
Dogra said the cuts were driven by a need to redirect spending back onto screen. She noted that non-programming costs had crept up from 30p in the pound to 40p over the past five years, something she wants to reverse.
What happens now
Dogra confirmed she hopes to appoint Channel 4’s new director of programmes within the “coming weeks”, saying there are “incredibly talented people in the frame”. She also acknowledged there’s no guaranteed process for resolving disagreements between senior creative figures, including content strategy chief Kiran Natraja and news boss Louisa Compton, when pitches divide opinion.
Dogra, a former Warner Bros. Discovery and Sky executive, took over as Channel 4 CEO in March, replacing Alex Mahon, and has since been carrying out a strategic review of the 43-year-old broadcaster.
For now, there’s no iPlayer deal in place, no merger, and no confirmation Bake Off is going anywhere. But with the BBC and Channel 4 both under pressure from global streamers, talks about closer cooperation look set to continue.
