ITV will broadcast just one hour of religious programming this year

Adding to fears that Britain’s commercial television stations no longer see the value of traditional shows about faith, Channel 4 has scrapped the post of commissioning editor for religion.

The channels say audiences are no longer interested in programmes solely about religion, so they cannot afford to continue making them.

It leaves the BBC as the main provider of religious documentaries and acts of worship on television, as public service licences require BBC1 and BBC2 to broadcast 110 hours a year. But even its coverage of spiritual matters has been criticised by senior clergy, who says it risk treating Christianity like a “rare species”.

Following a debate on the subject in February at a meeting of General Synod, the Church’s governing body, the bishop responsible for media wrote to the chief executives of all terrestrial channels to ask them about their commitment to religious broadcasting.

The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, the Bishop of Manchester, has now published the replies he received. He said: “A very basic sketch of the responses supports the Synod’s analysis that this is a time of significant change within the industry, with the key trend being that the level of financial pressure upon the ‘non-public service’ channels is radically affecting their willingness to commission and broadcast religious programmes.”

In his response, John Cresswell, chief executive of ITV, explained that the explosion of “multichannel” TV has meant that the value of ITV’s public service licences has “plummeted” as advertising revenues have “fragmented”, while the changes have been “exacerbated” by the recent economic downturn.

He said ITV has had to focus on programmes that deliver “large audiences” and so provide “commercial return”.

“Unfortunately, in recent years, audiences have chosen not to watch ITV1’s religious output; religious programmes broadcast during 2009 underperformed in their post-peak slots. Older viewers (historically a core audience for religious programmes) also increasingly choose to watch output other than religious programming. This shift in viewing behaviour has meant that religious programming on ITV1 has become commercially unsustainable and also has a significant opportunity cost.

“In the light of these economic and viewing trends, we have had to significantly reduce the broadcast of religious programmes. ITV is planning to schedule one 60-minute act of worship during 2010.”

Dawn Airey, chairman of Five, wrote to the bishop: “I’m afraid I am not able to offer you the comfort you seek about future investment in religious programming.

“In the earlier years of this century we showed a number of programmes with religious themes, which attracted interest and respect but did not pull in large audiences.”

She quoted the channel’s Statement of Programme Policy for 2010 which admitted: “We have no definite plans to show programmes on specific arts or religious subjects this yer. This reflects both the commercial pressures on us and our more entertainment-led programming strategy.”

David Abraham, CEO of Channel 4, insisted it was maintaining religious programmes “where possible” and had made “a number of landmark peak time series” on the subject last year.

But he also said as a broadcaster with a “distinctive, alternative voice”, Channel 4’s coverage of “religious viewpoints” often comes through shows other than “narrowly defined ‘religious’ programmes”.

“With that in mind, we decided not to re-appoint a commissioning editor for religion within the Specialist Factual team.”

The previous holder of the role, Aaqil Ahmed, last year became the first Muslim head of Religion & Ethics at the BBC.