Channel 4 has been given until March 12th to present its plan to move part of its operations out of London.
The FT also claims that the government will intervene if a plan is not forthcoming by that date.
The Conservatives’ general election manifesto last June stated that Channel 4 “will be relocated out of London” and the Government is currently considering the results of a consultation into whether the broadcaster should move.
A number of UK cities are bidding to become the state-owned broadcaster’s new home, including Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and York.
But earlier this month, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street told a business audience that Birmingham “will get the nod for Channel 4”.
Last October, a government report claimed that a full relocation of Channel 4 outside of London could create nearly 7,500 jobs and deliver almost £600m in economic benefits.
But the broadcaster’s former chief executive, David Abraham, and chairman, Charles Gurassa, said a wholesale move would be be catastrophic for its business.
“We are not the BBC and do not have armies of producers to move to Manchester and Salford,” Abraham told a committee of MPs. “We are enthusiasts for the regionalism of our schedule. We are disappointed we are presented as if we are in our palace in London never venturing forth, which is just not true.”
