4 and Five will not merge

Channels 4 and Five have called off merger talks, reports BBC News, because of the complexity of combining a public and commercial stations.

Discussions were started under the former [Channel 4] chief executive Mark Thompson, who has since left to become director general of the BBC.

He was replaced by Andy Duncan who had been the director of marketing at the BBC.

Mr Duncan said: "With concerns being raised about our future funding it was legitimate for Channel 4 to explore this merger, but we've concluded that protecting and strengthening Channel 4's public service role isn't compatible with the full merger that was proposed."