Channel 4’s outgoing chief content officer Ian Katz has defended his £720,000-a-year pay cheque ahead of his exit from the broadcaster.
Katz, who joined Channel 4 in 2017 after a stint as editor of the BBC’s Newsnight, announced his decision to leave the role last week.
During his tenure, he’s delivered hits including Big Boys, The Piano and It’s A Sin, and in a new interview, Katz reflects on nearly nine years in charge – addressing his often talked-about pay packet.
Channel 4’s annual reports include information on how much its top executives are paid and according to the latest accounts, he earned £720,000, including a £238,000 bonus, for 2024.
Asked whether he’s been paid too much, Katz told The Times: “I think I have been very fairly and well paid in my time in this job. Others will decide whether I’ve been paid too much.”
Katz’s pay has fluctuated over the years and in 2023, amid mass layoffs and a £50 million cut to the content budget, he received £481,000 and rejected his bonus.
The 58-year-old’s pay peaked in 2022, when he received a total of £845,000 – the highest a creative executive at the broadcaster had been paid since 2008.
Katz’s tenure at Channel 4 has spanned major changes in the TV industry, including the rise of streaming services as content commissioners and direct competitors for traditional broadcasters.
Acknowledging that the likes of Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios have “driven up the cost of everything in the supply chain vastly, from studio space to toilets”, Katz added: “The streamers have made us better. They’ve made us up our game.
“They’ve made us think harder about what our role is in the ecosystem. They’ve made us concentrate on what we can offer that is distinctive… I think we’ve doubled down on that… they gave us a massive kick up the backside.”
Katz is the third member of Channel 4’s top team to exit in the past 12 months, after chief executive Alex Mahon left last year and Jonathan Allan, who had been appointed interim chief executive, resigned after 15 years in February.
Priya Dogra, the head of Sky's advertising, data and new revenue, has been named the new chief executive but a replacement for Katz is yet to be announced.
Announcing his exit last week, Katz said: “It’s been a privilege beyond words to lead Channel 4’s talented and passionate commissioning team through such a transformative period.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, from pioneering the evolution of a commercial public service broadcaster into a digital streaming business, to backing groundbreaking programmes and talent that have brought a bit of joy to audience’s lives.”
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