Channel 4 is to expand the number of Cutting Edge documentaries and give the strand a permanent berth at 9pm in its schedule.
The channel's head of documentaries Angus Macqueen told delegates at the Sheffield Documentary Festival that he plans to commission up to 30 Cutting Edge single documentaries next year which is thought to be an increase of threefold on the number - ten - which have been shown this year.
Speaking after his revelation which he made at a panel discussion at the festival, Macqueen told MediaGuardian.co.uk that the expansion would involve an increased investment.
"Yes, we plan to make about 25 or even 30 next year if we get the right pitches and to give it a regular slot," he said. "This year some have shown at nine and some later, but we want to give the strand a permanent place and we think this shows just how committed the channel is to the one off documentary. More commissions will also of course mean more money.
"There were nine or ten this year but it wasn't always made clear that they were Cutting Edges. We want to make that clear."
The move also comes as the BBC seeks to make the biggest cuts in its programme budgets from its news and current affairs programming.
