S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru, meaning Channel Four Wales in Welsh) is a television channel in Welsh that began operations in 1982, the first television channel fully devoted to a Welsh-speaking audience. As Channel 4, S4C commissions all its programs to external producers.
Media assets
Television: S4C
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
S4C is owned by S4C Authority, an independent public body appointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to oversee the management of S4C. The main governance structure at S4C is its Unitary Board consisting of eight members appointed by the government.
Source of funding and budget
Since 2013, some 90% of S4C’s budget comes from the license fee, following an agreement between the owner of S4C (S4C Authority) and the BBC Trust. The rest is a combination of state subsidies and commercial revenues. S4C receives some GBP 88.8m a year from the license fee revenue.
Editorial independence
There are no rules imposed by the government on S4C that influence its content production in any way. The channel is known for its quality, innovative and independently produced content.
S4C has numerous guidelines regarding its content production aimed at guaranteeing diversity and impartiality in political party broadcasts.
The role of continuous assessment and oversight of the programming commissioned and acquired by S4C is played by the Unitary Board, which is assisted in its work by five committees each focusing on one of the following: content, audit and risk, complaints, communications, and people and remuneration.
September 2023