The broadcaster has failed to heed lessons from just last year when bonuses were delayed after an outcry

• Ch4 bosses took hundreds of thousands in bonuses as revenues dived

The last time Channel 4 was generous with executive bonuses, there was a stink. That was in the summer of 2023 when the publicly owned but commercially funded broadcaster decided its bosses deserved extra for heroically staying at their posts while the Tory government was making threats (abandoned in the end) of privatisation.

The outrage from independent TV producers was so intense that the “retention” awards, including £155,000 for chief executive Alex Mahon, were deferred “indefinitely”. The rethink seemed to be a belated recognition that personal rewards for Channel 4 executives should rise and fall roughly in step with the fortunes of the independent sector they are meant to promote.