Banijay backs Broadcast’s Not 4 Sale campaign

Banijay UK has backed Broadcast’s Not 4 Sale campaign against the privatisation of Channel 4, as support from Argonon, Lime Pictures, Multistory, Sister and The Garden takes the number of signatories to 160.

Banijay UK chief exec Lucinda Hicks, who is responsible for almost 30 labels, has also added her name to the campaign and hailed the role C4 plays.

“As an independent producer that makes content across and beyond the UK, we experience first-hand the unique and key role C4 plays in the UK creative economy,” she told Broadcast.

“The channel’s drive to invest in talent, emerging companies and new ideas and voices, which others simply wouldn’t, benefits the whole sector.”

She added that a change to C4’s remit would “threaten jobs, creative innovation and investment, and the creative ecosystem,” urging the government to “proceed with caution” with the sector reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have seen no evidence that alternative ownership would invest more in our sector.”

Hicks joins the bosses of several Banijay labels to have previously signed including Dragonfly, Initial, IWC Media and RDF Television.

Elsewhere, chief exec of super-indie Argonon, James Burstall, has boarded the campaign, alongside the first ITV Studios labels – The Garden’s John Hay and Nicola Hill and Tim Carter, who runs Multistory and Twofour.

Other indies to add their voices to the chorus of disapproval over the plans include Chernobyl producer Sister and renowned factual producer Lightbox (Searching for Sugarman).