ITV and Amazon are the latest broadcasters to commit to invest in skills and training through the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Fund.
Launched in June last year, the fund aims to train professionals in roles that are in short supply, including development researchers, edit assistants and production coordinators.
On unscripted productions, 0.25% of the commissioning budget, split equally between broadcaster/SVoD and production company, goes into a central pot that goes towards addressing skill shortages and inclusion. At least half of this fund is committed to training in the nations and regions.
With ITV now on board, every UK public service broadcaster has signed up. The BBC and Channel 4 are among the founding investors and Channel 5 joined last year, alongside Netflix.
ITV director of media and entertainment Kevin Lygo said the broadcaster’s involvement chimed with his commissioning ambitions for ITVX, the streaming platform it plans to launch in November with 15,000 hours of content.
“Having the very best people working on shows, from a wide range of backgrounds is very important to us, so we are pleased to join as backers of this fund, to address skills shortages and boost talent training out of London, in particular,” he said.
Sky, A+E Networks and Discovery UK are also founding partners of the fund, which is backed by Pact.
C4 managing director for nations and regions Sinead Rocks, who chairs the fund, said: “Having the support of so many broadcasters, streamers and production companies gives us a real step change when it comes to investment in the unscripted work force.”
