Quote:
Originally Posted by 1andrew1
If there is a need for Channel 4 to make its own programming - which I'm not sure there is - it does not require privatisation to be able to do this.
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No and no. It would need a massive investment to build new production studios and why would an investor spend money building new infrastructure for a company supposedly losing its main source of income? The trend has been away from TV companies making their own programmes for years. Thames was a major content producer as have been the successor companies of the original Thames owners (Fremantle etc). Carlton, however, preferred to commission content from independent producers when it took over the London weekday franchise. The bulk of the production facilities of the former ITV regional franchises has been disposed of. It would be a very strange move for Channel 4 to try to reverse the trend of the last few decades. If an investor wishes to start a production venture, surely it would be better to start from scratch rather than to take on the commitments of a PSB.