Channel 4’s main channel made an operating loss last year for the first time since 1992, according to the broadcaster’s annual report published today.
The core Channel 4 service recorded an operating loss of £7.8m in 2007 where programme costs grew faster than advertising, according to the report.
The Channel 4 group as a whole recorded a pre-tax surplus of £1.8m against a surplus of £21.3m in 2006.
MediaGuardian has suggested the move was a deliberate one , with Channel 4 reinvesting advertising revenue into programming as the broadcaster makes its case for some form of extra public funding.
Channel 4 chairman Luke Johnson warned that the broadcaster would move into the red this year under its current funding model, reports Broadcast.
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