“It’s only Television”

The future of Channel 4 is a “tricky issue” according to panellists at last week’s MediaTel Group ‘Future of Television’ seminar.

The panellists agreed that Channel 4 is “good for broadcasting” as it remains different to both the BBC and ITV – “I definitely want to see Channel 4 continue to exist,” Chris Hayward, head of investment at ZenithOptimedia, said.

“It’s a tricky issue,” Hayward continued. “ITV has a dominant position in the commercial TV market and it needs strong competition.”

Ray Snoddy thinks the solution is for Channel 4 to merge with Five as it’s “the least bad option” – “it’s definitely better than a BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 partnership,” he said.

“They need to set up a trust to protect the quality and diversity of Channel 4 programming and then take out back room costs to make a Channel 4/Five merger work,” according to Snoddy.

Meanwhile, Nick Bampton, managing director of Viacom Brand Solutions, said: “The current landscape scares me. While Channel 4 is a very important pillar, there are more and more public service broadcasters, which are backed by government, and surely the BBC fulfills that role.”

Bampton compared the government and media regulator Ofcom’s involvement in Channel 4’s financial struggle with the current situation with the banking industry.

“It’s only Television,” he said. “The government shouldn’t have to bail them out in the same way that they are with the banks at the moment.”

Google’s Bruce Daisley agreed: “[Television companies] are businesses and businesses should be able to regulate themselves.”

MediaTel Group: 020 7439 7575 www.mediatelgroup.co.uk