{"id":1174215,"date":"2026-08-28T13:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1174215\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T13:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:35:25","slug":"edinburgh-tv-festival-diary-key-moments-from-this-years-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1174215\/","title":{"rendered":"Edinburgh TV Festival Diary: Key Moments From This Year’s Event"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe final Edinburgh<\/a> TV Festival is nearly done, and with it decades of history come to an end. Deadline has been in town to assess the mood and take the temperature of an industry that is both metaphorically and physically changing. The vibe? A mix of melancholy, indifference and acceptance \u2013 it was almost like the whirlwind nature of the biz wouldn\u2019t let anyone stop and stand still to reflect. Here are our top talking points from the industry get-together. See you in Manchester in 2027?<\/p>\n

\n\tFarewell Edinburgh\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Edinburgh TV Festival<\/a> <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKen Jack\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Edinburgh TV Festival has been a 50-year pilgrimage for (largely London-based) executives, but there was no great outpouring of grief as the event plots its move south to Manchester in 2027. Even if memories were swapped by industry illuminati at the event\u2019s exclusive Wednesday night dinner, organizers did little to mark to the occassion \u2014 there was no big party (the usual Thursday night knees-up celebrated \u201c25 years of Audio Network,\u201d rather than the fest\u2019s last outing in Scotland) and the nostalgia on stage was kept to a minimum, though Sky\u2019s Phil Edgar-Jones indulged in a sweet moment by requesting a selfie with his audience. Fatima Salaria, the fest\u2019s Chair, did inject some emotion \u2013 and captured heightened feeling \u2013 on Friday morning as she tearfully paid tribute to years gone by. \u201cThis city has been part of the rhythm of the industry,\u201d she told the Pentland theater audience in an emotional speech before the team behind SNL UK took to the stage and talked about Giant Crab Man.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe reasons for the muted farewell are obvious. The festival is not dying. The cost of attending has become eye-watering at best, prohibitive at worst. Online meetings have made the journey north on the East Coast mainline less urgent. But it\u2019s hard not to feel sadness that more was not done to wave goodbye to this special place. The heart of the Edinburgh TV Festival is Edinburgh. It\u2019s a vibrant, spectacular, nourishing city that bristles with creative energy in August, when the Fringe Festival is in full swing. There are well-intentioned reasons for moving and Manchester has plenty of virtues. But the fest will be unmoored from the place that makes it unique. And that is now lost\u2026 or is it?<\/p>\n

\n\tYesterday, Screen Scotland officially announced plans for a new event next August, spearheaded by Rowan Woods, formerly of the Edinburgh TV Festival parish. The proposal theoretically sets the stage for duelling late summer conferences, but judging by the mood up here, the industry has already accepted that Manchester will be the TV fest\u2019s new home in the north.<\/p>\n

\n\tYouTube<\/a>: Friend Or Foe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"YouTube's<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tYouTube\u2019s Pedro Pina<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEdinburgh TV Festival<\/p>\n

\n\tBooking YouTube to deliver the MacTaggart Lecture was a sensible decision after the Google behemoth has upended the natural order in television viewing, but delegates were uncertain whether Europe boss Pedro Pina was the best messenger.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDeadline hears that organizers originally wanted CEO Neal Mohan, which would have been an exceptional booking. Instead, Pina \u2014 though he delivered his speech with panache and went to great lengths to articulate his cultural hinterland \u2014 is not a creative, nor is he the ultimate decision-maker. \u201cHe\u2019s the man who sells toothpaste ads on YouTube in Europe,\u201d withered one senior delegate, perhaps unfairly.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for the message, it was somewhat predictable. Pina protested (three times) that YouTube is not a villain intent on toppling TV. He heralded the third \u201cgolden age\u201d of television. He extolled the virtues of partnering with YouTube and talked up the platform\u2019s talent. He told attendees how much he loved The Traitors without a hint of irony, given that many in the room consider YouTube to be the traitor.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere was some grit in the oyster. Pina railed against UK government plans to introduce laws that will force YouTube to promote public service content from the likes of the BBC<\/a>. He called it \u201cforced prominence\u201d and suggested that it would be undemocratic to meddle in YouTube\u2019s algorithm, compelling users to \u201cwade through content they may not want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut some felt his argument was disingenuous. By its very nature, YouTube users don\u2019t have to sit through videos they do not wish to watch. They can be easily skipped over for more appealing offerings. Also, as one senior executive whispered to Deadline, it was pretty rich for YouTube to use a set-piece speech to hype up British content, only to baulk at the idea of promoting it.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd all of this is before you get into the underwhelming economics of YouTube. Even the most optimistic TV industry advocates admit that YouTube is a shop window, rather than a commercial gamechanger. It was cold comfort to hear Pina noting twice that YouTube shares half of its ad sales revenue.<\/p>\n

\n\tEveryone will benefit from having a frank conversation about YouTube, but it\u2019s ultimately an American business that British television has next to no influence over. What the industry can influence is the future of the BBC and the growing concern about Channel 4\u2019s isolation, but these issues were sometimes secondary to Silicon Valley, despite the appearance of Matt Brittin and Amol Rajan\u2019s blistering speech about inertia over the BBC\u2019s future. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, the woman overseeing these issues, was not on the Edinburgh billing. A missed opportunity for all involved.<\/p>\n

\n\tChannel 4\u2019s Next Chapter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Channel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tChannel 4\u2019s headquarters<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty<\/p>\n

\n\tOff-stage, the question everyone was asking was: Who is going to replace Ian Katz as Channel 4\u2019s next content chief? The consensus is that there are three contenders: Former BBC3 boss Stuart Murphy, Amazon Prime Video\u2019s UK unscripted chief Fozia Khan, and David Brindley, CEO of Twofour. Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra was giving nothing away at the broadcaster\u2019s annual press dinner, though did joke that she looked forward to welcoming the \u201cmagical and singularly talented\u201d executive she keeps hearing about from colleagues.<\/p>\n

\n\tDogra was on sparky form at the dinner, working the room and teasing assembled journalists. The former Warner Bros. executive was among the last partygoers standing at 2am (she certainly outlasted Deadline!) and led calls for the DJ to play Dolly Parton in tribute to the late country music legend. More difficult days lay ahead: Channel 4 will soon publish findings of investigations into the Married at First Sight rape scandal (Dogra has not yet seen the conclusions), as well as a review of C4\u2019s operations, which many believe will result in cuts. Dogra also faces her first evidence session with UK Parliament\u2019s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, a test for any CEO.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf nothing else, the gossip about Channel 4\u2019s next content chief is a reminder that the broadcaster still really matters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMake Paramount<\/a> Great Again<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tDeadline had heard rumors that Paramount\u2019s UK content chief Ben Frow was attending meetings in a Make Paramount Great Again hat, but didn\u2019t expect the mischievous executive to turn up in Edinburgh wearing the headgear. The cap was proudly perched on his cranium during his on-stage interview, when he even admitted to wearing the hat during a meeting with David Ellison. But what could it all mean? Is Frow cheering on Skydance\u2019s ownership of Paramount? Or is he ambiguously suggesting that Paramount could do with a little more love amid Warner Bros. Discovery-shaped distractions? Only Frow knows, but even after 12 years running 5, he\u2019s still finding news to have fun.<\/p>\n

\n\tBrittin\u2019s BBC<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tThere was inevitable intrigue about how forthcoming BBC Director General Matt Brittin would \u2013 or could be \u2013 in his first address directly to the BBC\u2019s top suppliers, creative partners and rivals. The answer: Pretty open, all in all, admitting at one point he did not realize the \u201cseverity\u201d of the financial challenge facing the BBC. A few (including hard-as-nails interviewer Kirsty Wark) found his refusal engage on a terms of trade chat in relation to the All3Media-powered Banijay Entertainment behemoth a bit annoying. \u201cOne he\u2019ll need to get to eventually,\u201d was what one indie producer observed after the talk. However, there a growing sense among the British TV community that Brittin is more of an ideas man than predecessor Tim Davie, and his proposal for a \u201cpublic service algorithm\u201d appeared to be a suggestion that the next generation of creators from around Britain could forego YouTube (them again) and release their content on a BBC iPlayer \u201c2.0\u201d was intriguing if a little hard to follow. <\/p>\n

\n\tBrittin was also faced with an open floor for the final 30 minutes of his session and the dings came from all sorts of unexpected angles. There was Lottie, the university student from Cornwall, who wanted to known about the upcoming reboot on Top Gear, and an indie producer concerned with nuances of the BBC licence fee. Then, from the front row, came a comment from a candidate from the recent Clacton by-election who was \u201cextremely disappointed\u201d the BBC placed so much emphasis on Count Binface, the the comedy candidate whose main reason for standing was to embarrass Nigel Farage. \u201cIt\u2019s not a joke,\u201d told Brittin furiously from the floor. Peter York, a podcaster and broadcaster, questioned why the BBC had \u201cnotably failed to report America\u2019s most important debate\u2026 as to whether its current government is or is not a fascist one.\u201d Brittin\u2019s response was sharp but fair: \u201cWe\u2019ll I\u2019m not sure that is the most important public debate, but thank you for your view.\u201d The mood lightened when one producer, whose name I won\u2019t use so as not to embarrass him, opened his question with the faux pas, \u201cGood afternoon, Tim.\u201d Quick as a shot, Brittin quipped back, \u201cAfternoon, my name\u2019s Matt.\u201d It was a moment that will have endeared him to many in the room. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The final Edinburgh TV Festival is nearly done, and with it decades of history come to an end.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1174216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8816],"tags":[192,748,1102,102997,4884,2590,712,16,15,1737],"class_list":["post-1174215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edinburgh","tag-bbc","tag-britain","tag-edinburgh","tag-edinburgh-tv-festival","tag-great-britain","tag-paramount","tag-scotland","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-youtube"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117173408122846064","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1174215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1174215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1174215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1174216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1174215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1174215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1174215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}