VICE

Investigative journalism has been having a tough time of it lately. In the broadcast space, Vice, once feted for its original and irreverent reporting, this year announced it would stop publishing new content. BBC Two current affairs flagship Newsnight was also cut by 10 minutes and deprived of top reporters such as its Diplomatic Editor, Mark Urban. Hundreds of jobs were lost at Vice, while more than 30 staff have been laid off at Newsnight.

The programming will feature new and old content including documentary series Hate Thy Neighbour, Needles and Pins and Gaycation, fashion series States Of Undress, and a current affairs and news strand.

The content will feature in a Vice branded hub on Channel 4's on-demand streaming service All 4 and will be the first time it has hosted content from a non-Channel 4 brand. It follows an initial third party licensing agreement between Vice and Channel 4 which saw four titles available for a limited time on the All 4 platform earlier this year. 

This is the first partnership of its kind that the Vice team have formed, and it will see a small team of Guardian journalists relocate to Vice’s offices in east London.

The Guardian intends to offer an experienced team to Vice, and in turn will be able to utilise Vice’s video production skills in delivering content to its millennial audience.

Vice CEO Shane Smith said “Real, fact-based, trusted news has never been more important and this partnership, I am very excited to say, will provide just that.”

Defining success in a connected content world is not straightforward. Is the buzz on social media more important than overnight ratings? And how does one commission shows that will play equally effectively on all devices across all platforms? 

Those were the main questions addressed in “Meet the new commissioners.” Session chair Jane Martinson, The Guardian’s head of media, asked some familiar faces with years of experience how the digital world is affecting their decisions. 

The youthfully cool Vice Media, famous for its guerrilla-style coverage of war zones and drug busts, has built its brand online. Yet it is about to launch a traditional TV channel in the UK and plans to make it available in 44 countries via different partnerships. 

It’s almost as if Apple had suddenly unveiled a record deck minus any kind of connectivity. Or is it? 

The indie is now focusing on scripted television, with future projects earmarked for a number of UK and US broadcasters.

Pulse has grown its TV division considerably, employing new managing and creative directors in recent months. It has also expanded its corporate operations, providing video content for brands such as Audi, Nike, Red Bull and Chanel under its new label East Entertainment. 

“Pulse are one of the few companies in the world that consistently produces content we admire,” said Vice’s co-president, Andrew Creighton.

The channel will launch in September and will be developed entirely in-house by the Vice creative team.

Viceland launched in the US and Canada to great acclaim in February 2016, offering hours of original content and attracting big names, including Gaycation with Ellen Page and Ian Daniel, Huang’s World with Eddie Huang, F*ck, That’s Delicious with Action Bronson, and Balls Deep with Thomas Morton.

This month, the BBC will unveil a longer version of The BBC Ten O’Clock News. The flagship bulletin will also come with enhanced production values. Even though the changes to the programme, fronted by Huw Edwards, have been under consideration for months, it will be seen as the latest round in the “battle of the bongs”, following the October relaunch of ITV’s News at Ten, with the user-friendly Tom Bradby.

Already a success in its native Canada, Vice is preparing to launch a free-to-air linear channel in the UK - one of 12 across Europe that will be rolled out in the next two years.

Speaking to Broadcast magazine, the company's chief executive Shane Smith said: “It’s no secret that we’ve been wanting to expand our linear presence for quite some time”.