Channel 4 has announced the departure of CEO Alex Mahon, who will leave the UK broadcaster this summer. Jonathan Allan, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found.
Mahon joined the UK broadcaster in 2017 as the channel’s first female CEO, after more than 20 years in the TV and production sector, including leadership roles at Fremantle, Shine Group and Foundry.
As Channel 4 CEO, she oversaw strategies designed to navigate sizeable challenges for the broadcaster, as she acknowledged in her statement accompanying the announcement.
“I feel lucky beyond belief to have had the chance to lead Channel 4 for nearly eight years – through calm seas (very few) and stormy waters (more than our fair share),” said Mahon.
Channel 4 faced threats of privatisation from consecutive Conservative governments, and in 2023 the TV ad market entered what Mahon called “market shock territory”. As the industry transitioned towards streaming, Channel 4 shifted focus onto its streaming service, social channels, and digital ad revenues.
The business introduced its ‘Future4’ strategy in 2020, which aimed to ease the company’s reliance on its linear TV business, and boost revenues from digital advertising. In 2024 the business doubled down on its targets with the launch of the ‘Fast Forward’ strategy, which looked to transform Channel 4 into “a digital-first public service streamer”, while moving out of its London headquarters.
“From navigating the threat of privatisation (twice), to shifting out of London, to digital transformation, lockdowns, political upheaval, advertising chaos – there has never been a dull moment. But through every twist and turn, there’s been one constant: the astonishing calibre, resilience, and creativity of all my colleagues at Channel 4.”
Eight years of change
In line with Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy, Mahon’s tenure has seen Channel 4 push full episodes onto YouTube, including First Dates, Gogglebox and Hollyoaks. The company launched its digital-first ‘Channel 4.0’ brand in 2022, designed to target 13-24 year olds with content distributed on YouTube and its social media channels.
The strategy also involved reducing headcount at the comercially funded public service broadcaster (PSB), as the business contended with what Mahon called the worst TV ad market since the 2008 financial crash. And while its revenues have been hit by the downturn, digital ad revenues have grown in line with Channel 4’s plans, while boosting viewership across its own streaming service and YouTube.
The PSB additionally began an ongoing partnership with Snap in 2018, bringing short-form edits of Channel 4 content onto Snapchat, which evolved to include augmented reality (AR) coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The company also entered the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) space in 2023, first in the US before launching a dedicated Married at First Sight channel in the UK.
And Mahon has championed public service broadcasting against threats to information posed by tech firms and social media platforms, which she accused of “wanton abandonment of the pursuit of truth.” In January she called for regulation to ensure young people can easily find verified, independent news on social media.
“In the last few months our Gen Z work – giving voice to the experiences of a generation too often overlooked and spawning so many national conversations – is another example of why Channel 4 has to exist,” Mahon said in her statement. “Shaping the national conversation in ways no other broadcaster dares to. Doing things that are bigger than programmes. Not just public service – actual public impact.”
“Alex is a great figure in British television,” added Dawn Airey, Channel 4 Interim Chair. “She has been one of the most impactful CEOs since Jeremy Isaacs’ founding of Channel 4 more than 42 years ago. Her commitment to Channel 4’s public service mission has been unwavering. She has backed entertaining, shocking, interesting telly, never playing it safe and her grit and resilience more than met the rough-tough challenges of recent times. She leaves a strengthened and well-run Channel 4 that will continue to flourish, with its Fast Forward strategy reengineering the organisation for the future.”
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