Channel 4 expresses Freesat interest

Channel 4 has expressed interest in joining the Freesat proposition, which was approved by the BBC Trust and officially announced by the BBC and ITV today.

In a statement, the broadcaster said: "As a public service broadcaster we are committed to offering our innovative, high-quality content to UK viewers across all meaningful platforms. We note with interest the BBC and ITV's announcement to launch an independent, free-to-air satellite platform, and we are open to discussing our possible involvement in due course."

Channel 4 is currently party to an exclusive digital satellite carriage deal with Sky for its entire bouquet of channels, with the exception of the free to air Film4.

"Under the Communications Act we would expect to become subject to obligations to ensure the availability of the core channel on all satellite platforms, which would require that Channel 4 was available on Freesat," the broadcaster explained.