🎛️ Reinventing Channel 4’s Broadcast Backbone
When a broadcaster has a 'digital first' strategy and decides to replace all 5 major services at once - replacing every component in the broadcast chain.
🧠 Use Case
📺 Client: Channel 4
🎯 Focus: Multi-Service Broadcast Migration
🧠 Role: Lead Business Analyst → Business Change Manager
📍 Location: Remote (Cape Town, South Africa) & Onsite (London, UK)
📆 Duration: 3.5+ Years
🧩 The Challenge
When Channel 4 decided to migrate all five of its key broadcast services—Linear, Media, Online, Access, and Post-Production—in one go, it marked one of the most complex transformations in UK media.
Instead of a phased approach, Channel 4 committed to a full-platform migration in a single coordinated programme. Legacy contracts were more than a decade old, and the goal was clear: future-ready infrastructure, better supplier fit, and a streamlined broadcast chain.
But the scale was huge—and so was the risk.
💡 The Solution
🛠️ The Engagement
Ancast was brought in to lead business analysis and later transition into business change delivery.
From stakeholder mapping to final cutover, I was responsible for ensuring the operational teams were ready, the workflows were defined, and the service migration could happen without disrupting what millions saw on screen.
🧭 The Approach
🔍 Discovery & Analysis
Canvassed 35 internal teams across Channel 4
Mapped 191 broadcast & operational processes
Created detailed as-is / to-be workflows and stakeholder impact maps
Built a Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) with 1,000s of references from contracts, RFPs, and Confluence
🧑🤝🧑 Stakeholder Engagement
Categorised teams as High, Medium, or Low impact
Implemented super-user groups, weekly check-ins, and ad hoc support for low-touch teams
Maintained momentum through daily standups and remote collaboration tools during COVID
👥 Team Scaling & Resource Management
Drafted in 3 Business Analysts to increase engagement capacity
Transitioned all documentation and testing tracking to ~50 JIRA dashboards
Part of a contractor project team that was around 15 strong at its peak
⚠️ A Major Curveball: Red Bee DR Event
In October 2021, disaster struck. A catastrophic failure at Red Bee Media took Channel 4 off air for 52 days. This brought the entire migration programme to a standstill.
Rather than pause, the team pivoted:
Collaborated on temporary DR workflows to get Channel 4 back on air
Conducted express testing & operational training
Maintained momentum through on-the-ground broadcast support at the Chalfont DR site
This period tested every part of our strategy—and proved the strength of the plan.
🚨 Results and Impact
✅ Outcomes
🚀 Services Migrated (Sep 2022)
Linear & Access Services → New platforms at Red Bee
Media & Online Services → Migrated to Prime Focus (CLEAR™ platform)
Post-Production → Transitioned to The Farm
📈 Strategic Impact
Enabled faster content delivery and improved metadata handling
Supported Channel 4’s digital-first ambitions
Delivered structured cutover, OAT/UAT, and 3-month hypercare
🏅 Recognition
“Hi Ben – a massive thanks for all of your great work/commitment on the BSM project - great to have made the transition!”
– Jonathan Allan, CCO, Channel 4
🧠 Lessons & Reflections
“This was one of the most complex transformations I’ve delivered—replacing every link in the broadcast chain under live conditions.
COVID, remote delivery, and the Red Bee incident tested our resilience and flexibility. It came down to strong team collaboration, rigorous workflows, and clear communication.”
— Ben Anchor
🧰 Services Provided
✔️ Business Analysis & Workflow Mapping
✔️ Stakeholder Discovery & Engagement
✔️ Requirements Traceability
✔️ Change Management & Comms
✔️ Test Coordination (UAT & OAT)
✔️ Supplier Integration Oversight
✔️ Cutover Planning & Hypercare Support
🎯 "Deliver Broadcast Projects That Scale with Operational Clarity"
🚀 Planning a Complex Migration or Platform Overhaul?
Let’s explore how your broadcast service, platform, or distribution chain can be delivered faster — with a clear roadmap that aligns teams, workflows, and on-air reliability.
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