Discussions are being held between ministers and regulators about a possible merger between BBC Worldwide, the commercial division of the public broadcaster, and Channel 4, a state-owned commercial network. The move would prevent Channel 4 from going bankrupt. The channel currently faces running out of cash in five years. It has been predicted that Channel 4 will run at a loss this year. Channel 4 reported £1.6m profits in 2007, while BBC Worldwide had profits of £112.5m, in the same year. After a merger, Channel 4 would have a majority holding, this could prove problematic as the BBC wants to remain at the helm.
