Government holds back on tighter C4 remit

The government has rejected proposals from a Commons select committee that Channel 4 should be more focused on public service broadcasting after the digital switchover.

In a report last year the culture, media and sport select committee suggested the channel "needs to be more tightly tied to the provision of content that the market would be unlikely to provide, such as high quality, challenging UK-produced drama and documentaries of the kind that used to be synonymous with the channel".

It said Channel 4 should be able to apply for public cash to make public service programming while producing commercial shows to subsidise its public-focused work.

Ministers have now issued their official response to the report and said there is not "at present... a clear case for the amendment of Channel 4's public service remit".

It suggests there are no firm plans to make the channel more public-focused or give it part of TV licence proceeds, despite recent soundings on the idea of "top slicing" the fee away from the BBC.

The government said: "Since its launch, Channel 4 has had a broadly defined remit with an emphasis on innovation, experimentation and creativity.

"To restrict the remit to programming that the market would not otherwise provide would risk undermining the dynamism that has enabled Channel 4 to make such a valuable contribution to UK broadcasting."

The government did, though, welcome the channel's plan to outline its own view of its future role in March.