‘A downturn is a fertile time for innovation. It involves risk and danger of failure but companies need to keep moving and stay restless,' he said at today's AOP Digital Publishing Summit.
In July Channel 4 made more than 4,000 hours of content and 10,000 programme titles available free to stream on its 4oD catch-up service.
Johnson said broadcasters need to look at other options for online monetisation if they are to sustain the level of quality public-service content available and mentioned the option of subscription services.
‘The nature [of Channel 4] is an experimental one and that prevails. It is harder at Channel 4 however because we are owned by the tax payer and inevitably a lot of entrepreneurs will want to be a part owner of any business they invest their efforts in,' he said.
There is an imperative for new revenue Johnson said because: ‘The scale of public service broadcasting that the UK enjoys is likely to end at some point.'
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