Channel 4 could move to Salford or Manchester
CHANNEL 4 has shortlisted Greater Manchester as a potential location for its new national headquarters.
The conurbation had submitted a selection of sites in Manchester and Salford as part of a national competition to host a new base for the broadcaster outside of London.
Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff and Glasgow all also made the cut.
The overall winner will be announced at the start of October.
Local council leaders and Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham welcomed getting through to the final round.
Mr Burnham said: “We are extremely pleased that Greater Manchester has been shortlisted for the chance to welcome Channel 4 to our city-region.
“Greater Manchester has the best devolution deal of any city-region and the unique strength of our creative, digital and media sectors sets us apart.
“As a former culture secretary I know what Channel 4 are looking for and we will make sure we build on our strengths as we finalise a formidable bid.
“We are a city of innovation and our creative businesses and employment are truly thriving which makes the Greater Manchester city-region the perfect home for Channel 4’s national HQ.”
Salford had originally hoped to form the focus of the Greater Manchester bid on the back of its successes with MediaCity, which is already home to major northern outposts for the BBC and ITV. In the event, however, Manchester also sought to put forward some potential locations, including the former Granada Studios site at St John’s on Quay Street.
So far it remains unclear which of the two cities Channel 4 would choose in the event that Greater Manchester was ultimately selected.
Council chiefs from both welcomed today’s announcement, however.
Salford city mayor Paul Dennett said: “We put forward a very compelling case to bring the broadcaster to the northern powerhouse. It is fantastic to see that Greater Manchester has quite rightly been shortlisted as a home for Channel 4’s new second National HQ.
“The success of MediaCityUK in Salford is a perfect example of how colocating brands and related supplychains out of the capital to the north can provide a competitive advantage and help to rebalance the economy.
“The ecosystem of digital tech and media businesses established at MediaCityUK is the fastest growing cluster of its kind in the country for a reason – Greater Manchester is Britain’s second city where you want to be if you are doing business.”
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester council, said: “We welcome Greater Manchester’s shortlisting.
“As an established broadcasting centre with a flourishing creative industry sector and a supply of highly-skilled graduates from our city’s universities we believe we have the ingredients in place not just to support the relocation of a major part of Channel 4’s operations but also for the organisation’s future growth.”