Channel 4 is to avoid privatisation and remain under public ownership, the government has confirmed today.
After what has been years of talks to sell the broadcaster for a reported possible £1.5 billion, which had faced strong opposition from executives at Channel 4 itself and throughout much of the TV industry, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has today confirmed a U-turn on such privatisation plans and announced that the channel will stay under public ownership.
The government says Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has “decided not to privatise Channel 4 after reviewing the business case for its sale”.
This means that the broadcaster will remain in public ownership, but now with what the government is calling “greater commercial flexibility”, an “increased investment in skills and jobs”, as well as new production arrangements to “support” the channel’s “long-term sustainability and growth”.
Ms Donelan has called Channel 4 “a British success story” and “a linchpin of our booming creative industries”, but says she has decided that pursuing a sale is not the best option to “ease the challenges” the broadcaster is facing, nor to support growth in the UK’s creative economy – especially the independent production sector.
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The government says that doing nothing, however, also “carries risks”.
As @Channel4 faces increasing competition from global streaming platforms, it's more important than ever to ensure its success
We're working together to ensure it has the freedom to generate income and remain a sustainable business
— Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) January 5, 2023
This is why it says it believes change is necessary to ensure the broadcaster can thrive, both “now and long into the future” in what is a rapidly-changing media landscape.
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Following discussions with Channel 4 and the independent production sector, the government has also confirmed an “ambitious package of measures” as an alternative to a sale.
“The package will ensure the broadcaster remains focused on sustainability and has new opportunities to grow while serving audiences in the decades to come with high-quality, innovative and distinctive content,” the government explains.
In addition to the package of measures, the government says Channel 4 has also committed to increasing the number of roles outside London – which is set to provide more opportunities for people from across the UK to gain experience in the broadcast media sector.
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Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan “decided not to privatise Channel 4 after reviewing the business case for its sale” / Credit: Gareth Milner (via Flickr)
Channel 4 – which was created in 1982, and has been funded entirely by advertising out of public ownership for the last 40 years, with everything it airs is commissioned from external production companies – has welcomed the decision to ditch privatisation plans for it to remain “safely in the hands of the British people”.
The broadcaster said in a statement: “For over 40 years, Channel 4 has been a keystone of Britain’s universal, free, public service broadcasting architecture.
“We have spoken up for diverse and young audiences across the UK, nurtured new talent and held power to account, but standing still has never been an option for Channel 4 throughout our history.
“Indeed, our next stage of evolution is already well under way.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you’re still struggling to come up with a New Year’s resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you’re at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third-party app, Recycle at Boots, uses a ‘Scan2Recycle‘ system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can’t usually be recycled at home, such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you’ve followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store at your nearest location, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you’re also an eco-warrior.
There’s even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs, which gives customers 100 Advantage Points when they spend £5 in-store.
Brilliant.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood, with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Manchester Market Street – 32 Market Street, M1 1PL
Salford Regent Park – Regents Park, M5 3TP
Manchester Didsbury – 736-740 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DW
The Trafford Centre – 10 Peel Avenue, M17 8BD
Trafford Retail Park – Neary Way, M41 7FN
If you’re up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
Manchester United issue statement after Bruno Fernandes’ social media is hacked
Danny Jones
Manchester United were forced to issue an official statement following Bruno Fernandes’ social media being hacked.
The Man United star’s digital profile was hijacked in the wake of the defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend, which saw the Red Devils knocked out of the FA Cup and, it’s fair to say, quite the flurry of activity online.
As if to add insult to injury, with United‘s exit from the competition, a user then commandeered the club captain’s presence to share several fake posts.
With the official Bruno Fernandes X account being targeted following the game, the club had no choice but to respond after several controversial and/or inappropriate posts, not to mention multiple instances of general anti-ownership sentiment.
In case you didn’t see any of the since-deleted posts, besides one understandably troublesome comment which read, “let’s get rid of INEOS“, others were even more provocative/inflammatory.
The comments ranged from everything between messages @ing darts player and United fan Luke Littler to influencers like KSI and Jake Paul.
Offensive language was also present in many of them.
As for the Portuguese midfielder, he also quickly clarified that he obviously had no involvement in the activity; meanwhile, despite plenty of players coming out to apologise for the defeat on Sunday night, the skipper is yet to address the disappointment directly.
The loss to Brighton confirmed that Manchester United will be playing just 40 games for the rest of the campaign – the fewest since the 1914/15 season (i.e. at the outset of the First World War) – which serves as yet another unwanted record for the club of late.
You can see the highlights for the game down below.
It is also likely to have been caretaker manager Darren Fletcher’s final game in charge of the Reds, with an interim replacement set to be appointed imminently following Ruben Amorim’s shock sacking earlier this month.
His predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, also looked like the frontrunner at one point – and could still be involved in a backroom setup – but The Athletic now has it that Carrick could be is odds-on favourite to be announced before the Manchester derby.
Nevertheless, plenty of supporters still feel the problems remain deeply rooted throughout the club and that a change of personnel among the coaching staff still may not be enough…
Emily Sergeant -
5th January 2023 
