Channel 4 is set to launch a new company, 4 Ventures Limited, to manage commercial activities outside of its core channel. It will house the group’s pay-TV services Film Four and E4 as well as its internet and interactive ventures.
Channel 4 International Ltd, the group’s programme sales and co-production arm, and its film division, Film Four Limited, will join the new company together with the channel’s commercial development team. 4 Learning and non-profit activities such as channel4.com, will remain within the core channel, however.
Michael Jackson, Channel 4’s chief executive, said: “This is the next logical step in our strategy, which is to build new cross platform businesses based on Channel 4’s programming strengths. Our aim is to ensure we ring-fence our investment in the main Channel 4 service, preserving it as the strong public service foundation on which all other businesses are built. 4 Ventures will allow us to manage our new businesses more aggressively to ensure they open up new sources of revenue and offer a return on Channel 4’s investment, helping to insulate the core service against more competitive times ahead.”
Wholly-owned by Channel 4, the group has said it will consider bringing in partnerships, both wholly and individually, in the future. David Brook, director of strategy and development at C4, will be a director of the new company and a new board-level director with management responsibility will be appointed shortly.
The move will be welcomed by the Conservative Party, which announced plans to privatise the channel if it wins the next election.
