Channel 4’s Head of All 4, Richard Davidson-Houston, has announced he is stepping down after 12 years at the broadcaster and plans to leave Channel 4 in the summer.
Davidson-Houston joined Channel 4 from Microsoft in 2007, was Head of Channel 4 Online from 2010, and launched video-on-demand service All 4 as Head of All 4 in 2015.
Under his leadership All 4 has evolved from a catch-up service for Channel 4 programmes to a service that offers a mix of live TV, catch-up, box sets and archive content. All 4 now also hosts content from partners such as Adult Swim, Vice and Walter Presents.
“It’s time to get stuck in to something new,” said Davidson-Houston in a statement, without revealing what he plans to do next.
“Channel 4 has been part of my life for a long time. I’m happy that I’m leaving All 4 in good shape and wish my colleagues all the best for the future.”
Channel 4’s Director of Programmes, Ian Katz, said: “Richard has played the pivotal role in building All 4 into a hugely successful on demand service that punches well above its weight. He has been a key figure in shaping the channel’s response to the digital challenge and will be much missed.”
Channel 4 claims that All 4 is now available on more than 20 platforms in the UK and has over 20 million registered users, including over two-thirds of the country’s 16-34 year olds. It also said that the service saw double-digit growth in viewing last year.
Richard Davidson-Houston spoke at the Connected TV World Summit in March, where he highlighted the importance of curation and scheduling as part of a keynote presentation titled ‘How established media owners will maintain audiences in the age of hyper-competition’.
