Jane Turton

Demand was “greater than ever” but “there is a skills shortage”, costs were rising by at least 10% per year and there had been no increase in tariffs, was All3Media CEO Jane Turton’s sober assessment of the state of TV production in the UK. 

The big question for BBC Studios CEO of production Ralph Lee was whether the rising costs and wage bills were a long-term inflationary trend or a short-term effect of the pandemic and of “still [being] in the middle of trying to get the shows delivered”. 

Cécile Frot-Coutaz, head of YouTube, EMEA, has urged broadcasters to form more partnerships with the Google-­owned platform, which this summer was revealed to be the third most-watched video service in the UK after the BBC and ITV.

Speaking at the RTS Digital Convention, the former Fremantle CEO emphasised that her company had plenty of evidence to show that legacy platforms seeking young audiences would be smart to cement their ties with the video-sharing platform.

From her first days working in television as a founder member of Meridian, the South of England regional ITV company, Jane Turton knew that she’d landed in exactly the right place professionally.

“I’ve always loved being in TV. It’s full of interesting people,” she says. “TV is always exciting. The product – if we’re allowed to call it that – is fascinating – part manufacturing business, part creative, part art, part commerce. TV brings all that stuff together in a way that is challenging and interesting.”

Joining Jane Turton on the Board of Trustees is Anne Mensah, Vice-President of Content, Netflix, and Jane Millichip, Chief Commercial Officer Sky Studios.

Additionally, the RTS is awarding eight new Fellowships for 2019, recognising industry heavyweights who have made an outstanding and exceptional contribution to the industry.

Chair

Kirsty Wark, Journalist, Broadcaster and Writer

Speakers

Julian Bellamy, Managing Director, ITV Studios

Howard Davine, Former ABC Studios Executive Vice President, Business Operations

The temperature in London has plummeted to a 10-year low and the snow has arrived. Our top-floor o­ffice in Covent Garden has the most amazing views over Westminster and all the way round to the Gherkin and the Shard. It’s very beautiful in the snow.

To add to the chaos created by the weather, Prithi, my assistant, is in Costa Rica on a two-week holiday.

I start the week with a conference call to our German supervisory board. Germany is a strong growth market for All3, where we produce scripted reality, drama and entertainment shows.

This debate directed a timely spotlight on the different models of running television studios in the UK and the US – the pros and cons of growing by acquisition or organically, and the issue of how to ensure studios are successful, both financially and as creative hubs.

There was a great deal of quiet satisfaction across the British production sector when Jane Turton was named Chief Executive of All3Media back in February. The steely, 53-year-old Scot had triumphed over external candidates following a five-month, global search by its new US owners, hard-driving Discovery Communications and Liberty Global, who paid around £550m for this important producer.