Critics of plans to privatise Channel 4 have warned that a change in the channel’s remit to produce programming could hit the UK TV production industry. In a report commissioned by Channel 4 last year, it was estimated that allowing the channel to create its own shows as a private company could lead to a £2.1 billion hit to its suppliers over ten years.

IEA Director General Mark Littlewood was quoted in The Times saying TV channels  should not protect vested interests in the wider TV industry. He argued: “The purpose of television is to entertain, engage and inform viewers, not to prop up domestic production. I very much doubt that many British production companies will need to seriously up their game to stay in business“.

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