The culture secretary, John Whittingdale, has refused to rule out the future privatisation of Channel 4 and said he would not “run to the hills” if a US broadcaster wanted to buy ITV.
Whittingdale said a sale of Channel 4 was not currently being discussed, but said whatever its future, its remit to cater for minority audiences and take risks must not change.
“The ownership of Channel 4 is not currently under debate. Do I say there are no circumstances in which I would ever consider it? No I don’t,” he told the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival on Wednesday.
“What I do say is the remit of Channel 4 is a priority and it’s not going to change.”
Whittingdale was responding to a question from former Channel 4 chairman Luke Johnson who called for a “proper debate” about the future of the broadcaster.
The question comes in the wake of several reports in July that the government is considering proposals to privatise Channel 4, which is state-owned but supported by advertising, in a move that could raise more than £1bn to aid deficit reduction.
Whittingdale said Channel 4 “seems to be doing fine without public money, which is very good”.
Under Johnson and its former chief executive Andy Duncan, Channel 4 warned of a future funding black hole which would require government intervention; a bleak scenario which never came to pass.
Whittingdale added: “I would have no intention of changing the remit of Channel 4 and I would want Channel 4 to serve that remit.”
Asked about the future ownership of ITV, Whittingdale said it also had licence obligations, including the provision of news, but “that is not the same thing as it does not have to be owned by Britain”.
“Under EU law, if a German broadcaster wanted to make a bid for ITV, they are allowed to,” he said.
“Should an American one [come in], that is different, that is not covered by EU law; but my instinctive reaction is in principle, I am not going to run to the hills and say … that a German can and an American can’t. ITV’s doing pretty well, all credit to them.”
