The number of people signing a petition in support of Channel 4 in the wake of Conservative plans to privatise the channel has attracted almost 300,000 signatures. It comes as a number of senior Tories also criticised the plans outlined by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.
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. 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”.
Plans for the sale will reportedly be set out in a White Paper later this month and will be included in a new Media Bill for next spring. After the Government made the announcement, it became clear that privatisation plans were not sitting well, not only with media personalities but also with senior figures in the Conservative Party.
Among those signing the Change.org Channel 4 petition are TV and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary who shared a link to his 2.6m followers on Twitter. As of 8am on Thursday (April 7) the petition had been signed by 294,888 people.
The full petition reads:
Channel 4 is responsible for some of the very best programming on UK TV. Channel 4 News is one of the most trusted news programmes at a time when disinformation is rife.
There are very few places where we can trust in the integrity of those producing news and content. There are very few places we can trust in the honest intention to serve diverse communities. The mono culture that is sure to be the result of such a move would be seriously undermining of the health and creativity of UK TV programming.
To privatise Channel 4 would seriously undermine programming aimed at all the communities, across generations, that make up this country.
The government has no right to move ahead with a plan that is not in the interest of the viewing public.
I hope we can all come together to protect the independence of this beloved, trusted and much needed channel.
Channel 4 is an invaluable part of UK media
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Health Secretary Speaking on Wednesday morning to LBC Radio, Health Secretary Sajid Javid insisted the network’s privatisation will set it free.
He said: “I love Channel 4. I think it’s great, but I want a Channel 4 that can compete in what is a fast-changing landscape. I think we can all agree that since Channel 4 was created the media landscape has changed.
“You must think carefully about why could it be better off being sold, and the reason is that, to compete properly, it needs to be able to raise its own funds and capital, whether that’s debt or equity, to do that in a way that it can properly compete in a vastly changing media landscape.
“This will set Channel 4 free. It will still be, by the way, a public broadcaster like ITV. It will have a public licence. They will have duties under that.
“You know, ITV is a great British broadcaster too, but it has been privately held now for many, many years. And it’s growing stronger. It has been able to compete, I think, as a result of that more effectively.
“And, by the way, my understanding is the funds that will be raised – I don’t know how much eventually, that will have to be worked out – but the funds that will be raised, which will be considerable, from the sale will all be reinvested back in the creative industries, including independent productions.”
