Privatisation could happen as early as next year, FT suggests
The government is set to launch a formal consultation into the future of Channel 4 within weeks, according to the Financial Times, potentially paving the way for the broadcaster to be privatised next year.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden is expected to instigate the consultation to discover the “best model” for the PSB.
Culture minister and former culture secretary John Whittingdale is expected to oversee the process, and he and Dowden are keen for a decision to be made by the end of the year. That timeframe would allow for legislation to be passed and implemented by the end of 2022.
Dowden floated the idea of a sale in a DCMS Committee appearance last month, confirming he had “not ruled out privatisation” within this parliament, which runs to 2024.
During his appearance at the committee, Dowden pointed to “rapidly changing viewer habits and the growth of user generated content” as reasons behind his considerations.
He said: “Even the BBC looks relatively small against that backdrop. 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 minister has already tasked the DCMS’s Future PSB committee with considering all options for C4’s future.
The prospect of selling off C4 has been in the ether for some time, with advocate Whittingdale raising the prospect last year at the Conservative party conference.
C4 chief executive Alex Mahon has rubbished the notion that the broadcaster is unsustainable, arguing that its performance during the Covid crisis had helped prove how robust it is.
In response to the news, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called on the government to “keep Channel 4 in public hands”.
“Privatisation would see the channel’s public ethos replaced in favour of the interests of shareholder profit,” said Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser. “It currently has a unique place in the market and is particularly popular with younger viewers.
“This should be cherished and not sold off to the highest bidder. The government says it agrees that public service broadcasting should remain as strong as ever, so why is it considering selling off Channel 4?”
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