View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

C4 tie-up with BBC Worldwide expected ‘within weeks’

By Paul McNally

Channel 4 is a few weeks away from signing a partnership agreement with BBC Worldwide, its chief executive told parliament today.

Andy Duncan said a “headline” deal between C4 and the BBC’s commercial division could be agreed before Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report is published next month.

He appeared in parliament today to give evidence to the cross-party Commons media select committee, which is scrutinising Channel 4’s recently published annual report.

Asked by MPs about a tie-up with BBC Worldwide, Duncan replied: “That’s certainly achievable within a few weeks.”

He added: “There might be more detailed issues which will take longer to sort out, but at headline level we think there’s a real urgency to getting that partnership confirmed.

“I would say that the ambition on all sides is to get to some sort of broad agreement for that [Digital Britain] report. Discussions have been going well.”

A partnership between C4 and BBC Worldwide is one of the options on the table to ease C4’s estimated £150m-a-year deficit in the coming years.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Duncan told MPs that ad revenues at C4 were down 18 per cent in the first half of the year and looked unlikely to come back to the levels previously enjoyed.

“It won’t bounce back, it’ll stop declining and it’ll plateau at a new lower level,” Duncan told the committee.

He said all parts of the channel were affected, but C4 would do all it could to preserve the quality of its news and current affairs.

And he added: “We’re not in danger of going bust as some people portray it.”

Other options to help shore up the public service broadcaster’s position have included a possible merger with Five, described by Duncan today as “very problematic”.

Another rumour, that Al Jazeera had shown an interest in partnership with C4, was dismissed.

“To my knowledge we’ve never talked to them,” Duncan told MPs. “They were alleged to have put themselves forward for a potential partnership but they’ve not contacted us.”

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network