New Culture Secretary urged to rethink Channel 4 sell-off
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Campaigners against Channel 4 privatisation called on new Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan to “look again” at the planned sell-off.
The former Education Secretary was put in charge of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by Liz Truss as she announced her cabinet.
Philippa Childs, head of broadcasting union Bectu, said: “Along with many independent Production Companies, and the vast majority of those who responded to the Government consultation Bectu believe the sale of Channel 4 would be a huge mistake.
“We hope the new Culture Secretary will think again, look at the evidence provided by the industry and put an end to this flawed sale.”
Her predecessor Nadine Dorries announced the plan earlier this year, arguing Channel 4 will struggle to survive in a landscape dominated by streaming giants such as Netflix.
John McVay, chief executive of Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact), said it would be "nonsensical" to take the broadcaster, currently funded by advertising, out of public ownership.
WriterJames Graham, who created the hit BBC drama Sherwood and whose play The Vote was broadcast on More4, said he was “breathing a sigh of relief at this change at DCMS”.
He said: “Too often it felt like Michelle Donelan’s predecessor was more the Secretary of State for Culture Wars rather than Culture. My hope is Michelle will recognise the arts commmunity isn’t necessarily something you have to go to war with for the sake of owning the libs, but something to celebrate as one of Britains great success stories internationally, and that adds value to communities locally.”
He said the privatisation was “needless” and made “no practical sense” when subscription services were losing money, adding: “That’s not a model we should or need to replicate for our public service broadcasted who put training and investment above profit.”
Netflix, whose hit shows include Stranger Things, recently announced it had lost almost 1 million subscribers between April and July this year.
