TV and film industry unites to launch new fund for unscripted TV

A new fund which will address skills gaps and shortages in unscripted television across the UK and build a bigger pool of off-screen crew and talent in the nations and regions is announced today by ScreenSkills with broadcasters, SVoDs and Pact.

The new Unscripted TV Skills Fund will invest matched contributions from broadcasters and productions to build a more inclusive workforce and future-proof the industry in a move designed to benefit all unscripted production.

Partners at launch are ScreenSkills, Pact, the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, A+E Networks UK and Discovery UK. The BBC and Channel 4 have provided significant upfront investment to enable the fund to launch successfully and to kickstart training right from the beginning.

The benefit to producers should be a stronger supply of trained professionals in key shortage roles across areas including production management, development, self-shooting skills and post-production.  Freelancers working in all genres of unscripted TV will benefit from a rolling slate of short courses.

The Unscripted TV Skills Fund will supersede the existing ScreenSkills TV Skills Fund, which has relied on broadcaster contributions alone, and the Indie Training Fund, which has been supported by indie contributions. Expertise from both funds will be absorbed into the new one.

Contributions to ScreenSkills for investment in training for roles in unscripted television have fallen in recent years in comparison with parts of the screen industries that benefit from tax relief, such as high-end TV. The new fund could raise in the region of £3 million a year by 2024 against contributions of around £370,000 to the existing TV Skills Fund.

Contributions will be shared between production companies and broadcasters/SVoDs. Production contributions will be due when a programme is delivered and will only relate to productions commissioned after the official launch of the fund on 1 June.

“The new Unscripted TV Skills Fund sees the industry acting collectively and strategically to address acknowledged skills shortages and to achieve access, and effective progression of an inclusive workforce. This is the right thing to do if we are to walk the walk on equal access for crew and talent to support production in all parts of the UK and maintain the standards of excellence for which we are world-renowned.”

Richard Johnston, ScreenSkills chair, added: “Establishing a properly financed fund that enables our world-leading non-scripted TV industry to take a long-term, strategic and coordinated approach to skills and inclusion has been a personal mission for the last three years, and I couldn’t be more delighted that we’re finally launching. Huge thanks go to BBC, Channel 4 and Pact for getting behind this from the start and showing what the industry can achieve when we work together.”

Charlotte Moore, BBC’s chief content officer, said: “We are delighted to be a founding investor and partner in this fund – with its critical focus on strengthening skills in the nations and English regions and improving off-screen diversity. Both are  really important parts of our mission to strengthen the creative economy right across the UK.  It is great that companies from all four nations will have a seat at the table to determine how the fund is spent.”

Sinead Rocks, managing director, nations and regions, Channel 4, concluded: “We are proud to be founding investors and partners in the Unscripted TV Skills Fund, working collaboratively with ScreenSkills, Pact, the BBC and other broadcasters to supercharge training and development. We are particularly focused on addressing skills gaps in the nations and regions and believe this fund will really help support our aims.”