Ministers will officially begin the privatization process of Channel 4 on Thursday – despite widespread opposition from the British media industry, the current TV leadership and a large number of Conservative MPs.
The government insists the public channel must be sold, but there are doubts about whether they have the political support needed to pass the necessary legislation. Ministers will also finally publish the conclusions of a public consultation of 60,000 people on the sale, with most comments expected to oppose privatization.
The announcement will be made as part of a series of legislative measures that will change the British media industry, including proposals to require broadcasters to make “distinctively British” programs rather than broadcast in non-specific locations, with international actors communicating. in American English. “
Among the new media policies to be confirmed in parliament on Thursday are a series of reforms designed to boost public service broadcasters in the UK – consisting of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and S4C.
The law on television broadcasting of sporting events “crown jewel” may also be amended to cover streaming platforms. This could ensure that Britons can watch all the Olympic events for free, potentially canceling the recent rights deal with US media company Discovery, which reduced BBC coverage and forced viewers to pay if they wanted to watch streams of all events.
Other measures, which will be detailed in a white paper on Thursday, include:
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Regulate content in streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, giving the public the opportunity to complain about offensive or inaccurate programs in the same way that they can now complain about programs on broadcast television. Failure to do so may result in a service fine of up to 5% of its revenue.
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It legally requires TV manufacturers to show British public operators in a prominent place on the home screens of smart TVs.
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Ease the rules on how broadcasters can perform their public service obligations, allowing them to meet the requirements by broadcasting on less obscure channels.
Although public service broadcasters generally welcomed the proposals, the British radio industry complained that the government had ignored their requests to force smart speakers such as Alexa to provide services to Amazon.
Undoubtedly the biggest announcement is the decision to continue with the privatization of Channel 4. It operates as a public property, which carries out advertising and is obliged to reinvest its profits in new programs instead of handing over the money to shareholders.
The broadcaster currently has an unusual business model developed by Margaret Thatcher’s government, which requires it to order all of its broadcasts from independent companies – something the government is proposing to tear up as part of its reforms.
On Wednesday, Culture Minister Julia Lopez told the House of Commons that the government had concluded that Channel 4 needed private property to survive, although almost the entire British media industry was publicly opposed to the plan.
She also faced strong opposition from her own lawmakers to the proposal, with many worried about the potential loss of jobs in her constituencies if a new owner prioritizes profits over broadcasting to small, independent producers.
Sir Peter Bottomley, the father of the house, told the House of Commons on Wednesday: “Channel 4 is in the best condition it has been in creatively and financially for decades.
The Tory MP suggested that ministers may have been offended by some of his news – such as the replacement of Boris Johnson with a melting ice sculpture in the climate change debate – and added that “the government could do best, leaving him alone. “
Damian Green, another former Tory minister, expressed “deep skepticism” about the government’s privatization plans and said the media industry was united in saying that “Channel 4 is not broken and does not need to be adjusted in this way.”
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