Scottish government cold on Channel 4 sale

The Scottish government has said there is “no reason whatsoever” to privatise Channel 4.

Holyrood has spoken out against the government’s consultation into a sale of the broadcaster at a time when the broadcaster has “strengthened” its spend in the nation.

A spokesperson for the Scottish government said: “We strongly support the public service broadcasting system and the important and distinctive role Channel 4 plays in investing and supporting the independent production sector and driving creative innovation.

“We see no reason whatsoever to privatise Channel 4, and especially not at the very time it has shown its resilience in weathering the pandemic and strengthened its content spend and investment in Scotland.”

In 2020, Scottish indies accounted for 5.7% of C4’s first-run originations (102 hours) which translated to £17.7m. C4 invested a total of £19m into the Scottish production sector over the period.

The broadcaster has one of its creative hubs in Glasgow’s Merchant City where Jo Street’s daytime and features department is currently based.

The DCMS’s consultation document indicated that a future C4 owner may have to commit to retaining its Leeds HQ but made no mention of its Glasgow office.

The document though did suggest requirements around out-of-London spend would be baked into a deal.

“If it is desirable, there is an opportunity to continue (or even enhance) requirements for C4’s spending to be made across the whole of the UK and for the provision of content which is representative of communities across the UK,” it said.

Holyrood is expected to respond to the DCMS’s consultation by urging against any decision that would weaken the broadcaster’s remit to commission from the indie sector.