Leeds has been chosen ahead of Birmingham and Manchester as the new national headquarters for Channel 4.
The three cities were in the final shortlist for the HQ, with Manchester regarded as the hot favourite. However, chief executive Alex Mahon and the Channel 4 board have chosen Leeds and 300 jobs will now move there from London.
Jobs will include key creative decision makers responsible for commissioning Channel 4 content and programmes from producers across the UK.
Bristol and Glasgow are to be the location of two smaller creative hubs. The new bases are at the heart of a plan called ‘4 All the UK’, aimed at ensuring Channel 4 better represents all the UK, on and off-screen.
In a statement announcing the news, the broadcaster said it felt “Leeds was best able to deliver against Channel 4’s vision and objectives for a new National HQ”.
It added: “The Leeds City Region put forward a comprehensive, compelling and ambitious strategy to partner with Channel 4 and the wider sector to support growth in the production and creative industries, and to nurture new talent from diverse backgrounds – in the region and across the UK.
