The sale of UK broadcaster Channel 4 has been called off and instead a package of measures to safeguard its sustainability will be introduced – including the potential for it to produce shows in-house.
Culture secretary Michelle Donelan wrote to Rishi Sunak yesterday setting out her decision, in a letter tweeted by The News Agents podcast.
“After reviewing the business case I have concluded that pursuing a sale at this point is not the right decision and there are better ways to secure C4’s sustainability and that of the UK independent production sector,” she said.
Donelan, who has asked Sunak to respond with any comments by today, has set out a package of measures to ensure C4 remains sustainable in the long-term.
Most significantly these include the potential for it to produce programming in-house for the first time, although crucially the final decision as to whether to embrace this will be made at Horseferry Road.
“I intend to legislate to relax the publisher-broadcaster restriction, giving C4 the flexibility to make some of its own content and diversify its revenue more effectively, should it wish to do so,” she said.
Read the letter below:
SCOOP: Letter from Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan to Rishi Sunak confirming her recommendation is that Channel 4 privatisation does NOT go ahead. Says there are “better ways to ensure C4’s sustainability.”
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) January 4, 2023
Direct opposite of what the Johnson government said. pic.twitter.com/KOH78NVJjt
This story first appeared on Screen’s sister site Broadcast
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