Channel 4 has revealed that Polly Scates will assume the position of Head of Acquisitions, reporting to Kiran Nataraja, Director of Content Strategy and Planning.
Polly will be responsible for formulating and implementing the strategy for all acquired series, both scripted and non-scripted, overseeing deal negotiations and ensuring their execution. Additionally, she will manage film acquisitions across Channel 4’s VOD platform and linear portfolio. Working closely with the commissioning teams, Polly will also play a pivotal role in pre-production acquisitions and co-production ventures in collaboration with the relevant Genre Head.
Kiran Nataraja, Director of Content Strategy and Planning said, “Polly is an outstanding leader and negotiator with brilliant commercial experience and I am thrilled she is taking on this role. During her time at Channel 4, she has led on a raft of successful deals and her excellent reputation is second to none. Acquisitions play a crucial part in our content strategy on streaming and across the portfolio of channels and with Polly’s deft and strategic skills and expertise, she will continue to build on the team’s impressive track record.”
Polly Scates said, “I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed to the role of Head of Acquisitions. I’m beyond excited to shape the acquisitions strategy at Channel 4, collaborate and form new partnerships. We will continue to evolve our output, especially with regards to pre-buys and in taking our VOD growth to the next level. This promotion is an exciting new chapter in my career.”
Currently based in London, Polly leads acquisitions for Channel 4’s VOD platform and linear portfolio. She has played a pivotal role in advancing the Future 4 strategy, securing high-profile boxsets like ‘Community’ and ‘Seinfeld’ for VOD. Additionally, she has contributed to the growth of True Crime on 4 with series such as ‘My Name is Reeva’, ‘Moors Murders’, and most recently, ‘The Flight Attendant Murders’.
Polly has also been instrumental in acquiring premier titles such as ‘Killing It’ from NBC, and has spearheaded the development of the unscripted pre-buy strategy, resulting in successes like ‘Chernobyl: The New Evidence’, ‘Alice Roberts: Ancient Egypt by Train’, and the Grierson award-winning ‘The Arctic Drift’.
Before embarking on her career in Acquisitions, Polly was part of the Advertising Sales team at Channel 4, and prior to that, she worked with Avalon.
Polly will assume her new role in January 2024, succeeding Nick Lee, who will be departing at the end of the year to join BBC Studios.
