Channel 4 'encouraged' by Ofcom remarks

Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan has said the broadcaster is "encouraged" by remarks to be made tonight by Ofcom chief Ed Richards about the channel's £100m funding gap.

Richards is to tell the Royal Television Society that Channel 4 will need a new funding model, to most likely be achieved by breaking the direct link between the BBC and the licence fee and "top slicing" it, in order to survive as a public service broadcaster.

"We’re very encouraged that Ofcom now broadly accepts our forecasts on the size and urgency of our funding gap and agrees that identifying a new funding mechanism for Channel 4 is a ‘pressing priority’," said Duncan. "We also warmly welcome Ofcom’s endorsement of our Next on 4 creative vision and its recognition that Channel 4 is critical to ensuring ongoing competition to the BBC in the provision of high-quality public service programmes."