The Government has said it will proceed with plans to privatise Channel 4. The channel is currently owned by the Government and receives its funding from advertising.
A statement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said it had made the decision to allow the channel to “thrive in the face of a rapidly-changing media landscape” while a Government source said the move would “remove Channel 4’s straitjacket”.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said it was “disappointed” with the decision, but would “continue to engage” with the Government on the process to “ensure that Channel 4 continues to play its unique part in Britain’s creative ecology and national life”.
