A petition calling for a rethink over plans to privatise Channel 4 has now been signed by more than 350,000 people. The Government confirmed on Monday that it will proceed with plans to privatise Channel 4, which has been publicly owned since it was founded in 1982 and is funded by advertising.
As of 1.30pm on Friday (April 8) the Change.org Channel 4 petition had been signed by 353,849 people. They include TV and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary who shared a link to his 2.6m followers on Twitter.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said that while Channel 4 held a “cherished place in British life” she felt that public ownership was holding the broadcaster back from “competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon”. However a number of senior Conservatives have criticised the plans.
