Oliver Dowden: Channel 4 sale could come by 2024

The culture secretary has said it is feasible that Channel 4 could be privatised by late 2024.

Oliver Dowden has tasked the DCMS’s Future PSB committee with considering all options for the broadcaster’s future, and today (13 May) told the DCMS Committee that a sale could occur within this parliament.

Responding to a question from committee chair Julian Knight, Dowden confirmed he “has not ruled out” privatisation.

He pointed to “rapidly changing viewer habits and the growth of user generated content against the backdrop of big players”.

“Even the BBC looks relatively small against that backdrop,” he said. “We need to think about the huge contribution that C4 has made to the creative industries and what the appropriate model is going forward.”

The Future PSB committee, which is made up of nine former broadcasting and indie execs, is currently examining “the best option” for C4’s future, Dowden said.

“I’m not coming before the committee and announcing that it is going to happen, but as part of our Future PSB review it is right that we look at [privatisation] and I have asked the committee to look at it,” he said.

Privatisation has been mooted several times over the past few years, including by culture minister John Whittingdale several months ago.

Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has hit back several times. Last October, she said the Covid crisis had helped prove the broadcaster’s sustainability.

Meanwhile, Dowden met with BBC director general Tim Davie and chair Richard Sharp last week as the government and corporation negotiate over licence fee funding between 2022 and 2027.

Dowden said the government will look for an “appropriate settlement, weighing up the needs of declining household spending and household budgets”.