Ian Katz facts for kids

Ian Alexander Katz (born 9 February 1968) is a British journalist and TV executive. He is currently the Chief Content Officer at Channel 4. This means he is in charge of what shows are made and shown across Channel 4's TV channels, streaming services, and social media.

Before joining Channel 4, Katz worked in newspaper journalism. He was a deputy editor at The Guardian newspaper until 2013. After that, he became the editor of Newsnight, a current affairs TV show on BBC Two. He left Newsnight in late 2017 to start his role at Channel 4.

Early Life and Education

Ian Katz was born in South Africa in 1968. He lived there for the first ten years of his life. After that, his family moved to London, England.

He went to University College School, which is a private school for boys in Hampstead, London. Later, he studied at New College, Oxford University. There, he focused on Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Starting a Career in Journalism

Ian Katz began his journalism career in 1989. He joined a newspaper called Sunday Correspondent as a trainee. A year later, he moved to The Guardian newspaper. He worked there until 2013.

During his time at The Guardian, he had many different roles. He was a reporter and a foreign correspondent in New York. He also edited the G2 section for eight years. He was also in charge of the Saturday and weekday editions of the newspaper.

In 1998, Katz helped launch the new guardian.co.uk website. In 2008, he became a deputy editor at The Guardian.

Working as Deputy Editor at The Guardian

As a deputy editor, Ian Katz helped oversee news and business coverage. He supervised The Guardian's investigation into the News International phone hacking scandal. This was a big story about phone hacking.

Katz was also one of the newspaper's contacts with Julian Assange from WikiLeaks. The Guardian first published information from WikiLeaks. Later, their relationship became difficult.

In 2015, Katz was considered for the top job of editor-in-chief at The Guardian. However, another journalist, Katharine Viner, was chosen instead.

Leading Newsnight at the BBC

In July 2013, Ian Katz joined the BBC. He became the editor of Newsnight in September of that year. Newsnight is a well-known current affairs program.

Soon after becoming editor, Katz accidentally sent a public message on Twitter. He thought it was a private message. In the message, he said that a politician, Rachel Reeves, was "boring snoring" during an interview on the show. Katz quickly deleted the message and apologized.

A year later, Katz wrote about political interviews. He said that many political interviews can feel "boring snoring." He believed that interviews should help people understand politicians' challenges better. He wanted interviews to be "a source of light as well as heat."

In October 2017, it was announced that Katz would leave the BBC. He left his role at Newsnight to join Channel 4.

Career at Channel 4

Ian Katz became Channel 4's Director of Programmes in October 2017. He was appointed by the new Chief Executive, Alex Mahon. His appointment surprised many people in the TV industry.

In May 2018, Katz gave a speech about Channel 4's goals. He said that Channel 4's job to serve the public was "more important and relevant than ever." He promised to make the channel more unique. He announced new shows like Brexit: The Uncivil War and The Big Narstie Show.

Katz has commissioned many popular shows. These include Russell T Davies' drama about the AIDS pandemic, It's A Sin. This show broke streaming records and encouraged more people to get tested for HIV. Other shows he commissioned include The Dog House, Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, and Grayson's Art Club.

Under Katz, Channel 4 also created Black To Front. This was a day in September 2021 where only Black talent was featured on screen and behind the scenes. This event was praised as a "successful kick in the derriere for British television."

Katz has also helped Channel 4 secure deals to show major sports events for free. For example, in July 2019, Channel 4 showed England's Cricket World Cup final against New Zealand. About 4.5 million viewers watched England win.

In January 2020, Katz was promoted to Chief Content Officer. This gave him control over all of Channel 4's content. In 2020, Channel 4 reported a 26% growth in streaming on its streaming service.

Katz has also overseen changes to Channel 4's streaming service, All 4. He decided that old content would generally not be removed. Instead, warnings would be added to content that might be offensive. He also helped create Channel 4's commissioning teams across the UK. These teams are in Leeds, Glasgow, and Bristol.

Katz has spoken strongly against the idea of Channel 4 being sold to a private company. He believes that "what is special about the channel would be destroyed" if it were privatized.

Personal Life

Ian Katz married Justine Roberts. She later founded Mumsnet, a popular website for parents. They had four children together. They separated in 2019.