Channel 4 chief executive Mark Thompson has today confirmed reports that the broadcaster is in talks with Five over a possible merger between the pair.
According to The Guardian, Thompson had originally met with UBM and RTL - the joint owners of Five - to discuss combining their sales operations, but since then talks have widened and a full-scale merger is now on the cards.
The Channel 4 board are considering appointing a financial advisory firm to look into the feasibility of a merger.
If it were to go ahead, one possible plan of operation would be to run the two businesses together, but with separate channel schedules, like BBC One and Two.
C4 executives are said to be worried about the future of the channel in the next ten years against heightened competition from a newly merged ITV, believing that a merger with Five could strengthen their position in the marketplace.
The government would need to approve any change in ownership of C4, which is a publicly-owned asset worth around £2 billion.
According to The Guardian, Thompson had originally met with UBM and RTL - the joint owners of Five - to discuss combining their sales operations, but since then talks have widened and a full-scale merger is now on the cards.
The Channel 4 board are considering appointing a financial advisory firm to look into the feasibility of a merger.
If it were to go ahead, one possible plan of operation would be to run the two businesses together, but with separate channel schedules, like BBC One and Two.
C4 executives are said to be worried about the future of the channel in the next ten years against heightened competition from a newly merged ITV, believing that a merger with Five could strengthen their position in the marketplace.
The government would need to approve any change in ownership of C4, which is a publicly-owned asset worth around £2 billion.
