Channel 4’s current and former Chairs and CEOs to give evidence to Lords inquiry on the channel’s future
Monday 11 October 2021
The current CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon, and the channel’s former CEO, Lord Grade of Yarmouth, are among five people giving evidence on Tuesday 12 October to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s inquiry into the future of Channel 4.
Ministers are consulting on the possible privatisation of Channel 4 – the government’s preferred option - and now peers are investigating its remit and ownership.
These evidence sessions will be streamed live on Parliament TV. The committee will hear from:
At 2.15pm
- Claire Enders, founder, Enders Analysis.
At 3pm
- Lord Grade of Yarmouth, former Chief Executive Officer, Channel 4
- Luke Johnson, former Chair, Channel 4.
At 3.50pm
- Charles Gurassa, Non-Executive Chair, Channel 4
- Alex Mahon, Chief Executive Officer, Channel 4.
Likely questions include:
- How sustainable is Channel 4?
- What are the benefits and risks of privatising Channel 4?
- What effect would potential buyers of Channel 4 have on the wider ecology of UK public service broadcasting?
- To what extent would privatisation ensure Channel 4’s sustainability, and enable it to compete with subscription video on demand services (SVODs)?
- To what extent would privatisation reduce investment into small independent production companies?
- Would Channel 4’s delivery of public service content be threatened by a move to private ownership?
- If Channel 4 remained in public ownership, are there legislative or regulatory changes the channel would like the Government to enact to help ensure its sustainability?
