Britain proposes—again—to privatise Channel 4
New streaming technology has reignited an old debate
VIEWERS WHO moan about repeats on television must have rolled their eyes at the news on June 23rd. Among the headlines was that Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, is considering the privatisation of Channel 4, a publicly owned, commercially run TV station. The idea has been aired by governments almost ever since the channel’s first broadcast in 1982.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Channel-chopping”
Britain June 26th 2021
- Procurement reforms offer a clue about Britain after Brexit
- After Brexit, devolution in Northern Ireland is in a parlous state
- Labour could lose a by-election over the issue of Palestine
- Eels are in crisis, but hope is coming on-stream
- The triple-lock rule poses a post-pandemic problem
- Britain proposes—again—to privatise Channel 4
- Britain, a diverse country for decades, is now superdiverse
- Britain’s government says it wants an economic boom
More from Britain
Many Britons are waiting 12 hours at A&E
The crisis in emergency care has deep roots
Is British justice too secretive?
Controversy rages over what happened both before and after a horrendous mass stabbing
Britain’s oldest newspaper is a treasure trove of trivia
Why historians love the London Gazette
The rise of the Net-Zero Dad
Middle-aged men care less about the problem. But they love the solution
Backing Heathrow expansion suggests Labour is serious about boosting growth
It is the surest sign yet that the government is up for the fight