UK's Channel 4 set to be privatised by UK government
C4 CEO, Alex Mahon, revealed the news in a note to staff on Monday night, confirming that culture secretary Nadine Dorries would now set a path to end the organisation’s 40-year private ownership.
“We have been informed in the last hour that the government will shortly announce that the secretary of state has decided to proceed with the proposal to privatise Channel 4,” Mahon told staff.
She added that the broadcaster had “proposed a vision for the next 40 years” which it was confident “would allow us to build on the successes of the first 40.”
“That vision was rooted in continued public ownership and was built upon the huge amount of public value this model has delivered to date and the opportunity to deliver so much more in the future.”
Mahon added that “ownership of Channel 4 is for government to propose and parliament to decide”, suggesting the broadcaster could yet avoid privatisation.
Background & context
The decision has come as something of a shock to the UK industry, following the UK government delaying any decision on privatising the pubcaster last summer.
In July 2021, the government laid out a formal consultation into the privatisation of C4, arguing that “the evolving media landscape poses material challenges to Channel 4’s future success and sustainability under its current ownership model and remit.” Read More...
