Is it fair for Channel 4 to receive more funding?

 Ed Richards, Ofcom chief executive
“There is no doubt the funding position of Channel 4 is very different to what it was in the past. It can’t predict the future, but if it does see an end, it needs to look at the means.
“We brought forward our public service broadcasting review by two years to help resolve the issues in a timely way, but it needs to be done properly and thoroughly, as there is an impact on other organisations Now is the time for C4 to redefine itself.”

ITV
“ITV’s position in recent years has been about the need for more clarity around not just Channel 4’s public service remit, but also its public accountability. We still have no clear idea of how the new initiatives [announced last week] will be funded and this presentation invites more questions than it answers.”

Luke Johnson, Channel 4 chairman
“One public service broadcaster, the BBC, with a monolithic role is wrong. We need a challenging partner to that monolithic organisation. The question is how much we value Channel 4. If we see the added value of Channel 4 and believe there is a place for it in the next 25 years, then it needs some support.”

BBC
“Channel 4’s vital place in British broadcasting is well served by the imagination and ambition of this report. We welcome its aim to strengthen Channel 4’s delivery of what is a unique public service remit.”

James Wildman, IDS managing director
I have no idea why Channel 4 should get more funding. This is a long overdue statement about why Channel 4 deserves an extremely privileged position. It has effectively leveraged CRR to its benefit and it is increasingly becoming aggressively commercial. However, it is still out with its begging bowl, looking to top-slice the BBC’s licence fee.”

This article was first published on Media Week