Ben Frow reveals Channel 5’s creative methods

Channel 5 has uncovered six or seven potential returning series from its £30k pilot scheme as Paramount UK chief content officer Ben Frow discussed how he engenders creativity at the broadcaster.  

Frow challenged his commissioning team to spend up to £30k creating a proof-of-concept sizzle for a 9pm show that they believe he would have rejected under normal circumstances.  

He said the C5 commissioners had worked collaboratively to refine their ideas, and that he is now pursuing around half a dozen of the projects.  

The initiative is one of several ways Frow has attempted to inspire his team, including asking them to play a song to their colleagues that inspires them, and to read out a paragraph from a book that resonates with them.  

He also talked up the importance of smart scheduling, despite the broad shift away from linear viewing to on-demand.  

He said scheduling was behind “much of the success we’ve had in recent years.”   

“Linear television is like a hurricane right now, it’s being battered by so many different forces,” he said. “It’s our duty to be the best we can be in order to ensure our viewers don’t abandon us in this rocky period. If in five years’ time, everyone only watches streaming services, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.”  

During his spotlight session, Frow participated in an interactive element with the audience demonstrating how they fill gaps in the schedule, with the audience voting for what programmes they would pick to stand out against competitors.  

Frow highlighted that Friday nights at 9pm are a particular focus at the moment, with the C5 controller joking that rival C4 format Gogglebox is his “nemesis.”  

“Some shows we ordered for 8pm have had to play at 9pm to fill a hole in the schedule because we don’t know what to put in that slot” he revealed.