Editing Channel 4 (section)

====Abandoned privatisation====
Channel 4's parent company, [[Channel Four Television Corporation]], was considered for privatisation by the governments of [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[John Major]] and [[Tony Blair]].<ref name="Mance">{{cite news |last1=Mance |first1=Henry |title=Five programmes to secure future of Channel 4 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f90cc36-c50c-11e5-b3b1-7b2481276e45.html |access-date=17 February 2016 |work=Financial Times |date=28 January 2016 |archive-date=2 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402170036/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f90cc36-c50c-11e5-b3b1-7b2481276e45.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, the [[Cameron-Clegg coalition government]] drew up proposals to privatise the corporation but the sale was blocked by the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] Business Secretary [[Vince Cable]].<ref>{{cite web |date=13 September 2014 |title=Ministers blocked bid to privatise Channel 4 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/11093533/Ministers-blocked-bid-to-privatise-Channel-4.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/11093533/Ministers-blocked-bid-to-privatise-Channel-4.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=14 September 2014 |website=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2016, the future of the channel was again being looked into by the government, with analysts suggesting several options for its future.<ref name="Mance"/> In June 2021, the government of [[Boris Johnson]] was considering selling the channel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Duke|first=Simon|title=Channel 4 facing sale as Treasury seeks to cash in|newspaper=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/channel-4-facing-sale-as-treasury-seeks-to-cash-in-lm8kdzjxq|access-date=2 June 2021|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=3 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703053708/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/channel-4-facing-sale-as-treasury-seeks-to-cash-in-lm8kdzjxq|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2022, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport acknowledged that ministerial discussions were taking place regarding the sale of Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel's chief executive, Alex Mahon, expressed disappointment at this, saying that its vision for the future was "rooted in continued public ownership".<ref>{{cite news |last= |date=4 April 2022 |title=British government set to sell broadcaster Channel 4 |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/britain-privatise-broadcaster-channel-4-2022-04-04/ |access-date=6 April 2022}}</ref>

In January 2023, [[Michelle Donelan]] confirmed that the plans to sell Channel 4 were scrapped and that it would remain in public ownership for the foreseeable future.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 January 2023 |title=Channel 4: Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan confirms U-turn on privatisation |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64174141 |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>