Presenter Jon Snow ‘in favour of Channel 4 privatisation’

Despite recent denials, it seems the United Kingdom government may be looking to sell public broadcaster Channel 4 in a bid to pay down debt.

The news was disclosed after secret Government documents detailing the plans were photographed in the hands of an official in Downing Street on Thursday. He told BuzzFeed News he did not know who was carrying the document, which carried today’s date.

“Matt Hancock must now make clear exactly what role he and the Cabinet Office have had in any discussions about the future of the channel”, he said.

It suggests the ministers had “agreed that work should proceed” to examine opportunities to privatise the state-owned public service broadcaster.

“Channel 4 has a turnover of about £1 billion a year and assets of roughly half-a-billion, and surely the taxpayer stake in it could be sold and help the Chancellor with his agenda”.

It continued: “This submission outlines the options we propose to explore, working with ShEx and the CO”.

The government denied it had any “current” plans to privatise the state-owned broadcaster in June. It also runs a suite of digital channels that include E4, More 4 and the catch-up portal All 4.

It has been funded by advertising and sponsorship deals since the outset, starting with a commercial for Vauxhall cars.

The channel’s chief executive David Abraham has previously warned that running Channel 4 for profit would mean cutting the money spent on TV programmes by a third – making it more like Channel 5.

“But then, when I think about it, I think there is something very precious about the settlement that is Channel 4”.

The official is believed to be a member of the Department of Culture, Media & Sport and the latest in a series of ministers and officials that have been caught by photographers outside of Downing Street. Channel 4 has an important remit and we are looking at a range of options as to how to continue to deliver this, including options put forward by Channel 4′.

A Channel 4 representative said: “Channel 4’s not-for-profit model enables it to deliver significant public value to viewers and the United Kingdom economy with a unique remit focused on innovation, diversity and new talent”.