Jeremy Clarkson calls for UK broadcasters to combine on a ‘Britflix’ platform

Jeremy Clarkson has called for Britain’s major broadcasters to combine on a single platform he called ‘Britflix’, arguing that television needs larger programmes to compete with streaming services and online video. Speaking at the RTS London Convention on Tuesday, he tied the proposal to his concern that experienced producers and crew members are struggling to find work. It is Clarkson’s proposal; the broadcasters have announced no such joint platform.

Clarkson named the BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 in his call for the industry to come together, according to the Guardian’s account of his remarks. He argued that they should make ‘bigger, fewer, better programmes’ in response to competition from streamers and digital platforms, including YouTube. Combining the organisations would be a much broader step than making their programmes available through a shared viewing service.

The work behind his argument

Clarkson said he had just finished filming the sixth season of his Amazon Prime programme Clarkson’s Farm. He told the convention that 35 to 40 people who worked on the show were now at home wondering how they would pay their mortgages. That figure and description are his account of the crew’s circumstances; the Guardian report does not establish an industry-wide employment total from it.

He also said producers he had worked with could not find jobs and described talent as ‘draining away’ from television. His concern extends beyond whether established broadcasters retain viewers: he argued that fewer opportunities to make programmes are affecting the people who produce them. The reported remarks do not show how many workers across the wider industry are in the same position.

Clarkson said his team was considering what to do after Clarkson’s Farm and that its next idea would need to be bigger to stand out against social media content. Although he works with Amazon, one of the streaming companies competing for audiences, he described online creators as another pressure on television programmes trying to attract attention.

Pressure on a major broadcaster

Channel 4 has separately set out changes to its own organisation. On 9 September, it proposed reducing its workforce by about 340 roles, equivalent to 28%, by the end of 2026. It said the proposed reductions would be subject to formal consultation with affected employees. Those plans provide a concrete example of pressure on a broadcaster, but they do not establish the employment position of the Clarkson’s Farm crew or the wider production workforce.

Channel 4 said changing audience habits, global competition, a difficult consumer environment and a volatile advertising market had put pressure on commissioning budgets. Chief executive Priya Dogra said the changes were intended to direct more of the broadcaster’s revenue toward distinctive British programmes. Channel 4 said it would share further details of its strategic direction in the coming months; its September announcement did not propose a merger with other broadcasters.

Sharing programmes is a separate question

The Guardian reported that Clarkson expects the BBC and Channel 4 eventually to merge, while noting that both broadcasters have repeatedly rejected that idea. His expectation is a forecast, not an announced decision. He also suggested that BBC News should remain separate and be funded through a licence fee, distinguishing news from the broader combination he advocated.

At the same convention, Dogra was asked about putting Channel 4 programmes on the BBC’s iPlayer. She said, ‘I don’t see why not,’ according to the Guardian, but said iPlayer would have to accommodate the advertising that funds Channel 4 content. Hosting programmes on another broadcaster’s service would be a content-sharing arrangement, rather than the merger Clarkson urged.