Rush for Channel 4 triggers hopes of £2bn price tag | Business

Ministers hope to raise as much as £2 billion from privatising Channel 4 after receiving more than two dozen expressions of interest.

Bankers at JP Morgan advising the government on the sale of the state-owned broadcaster have fielded preliminary inquiries from interested parties, say sources close to the process.

Last week, culture secretary Nadine Dorries started the sale of the Gogglebox and Bake Off broadcaster as she launched the broadcasting white paper. It is the largest privatisation since Royal Mail in 2013.

The sale is going ahead despite 96 per cent of respondents to consultation opposing the plans.

The government had hinted that it hoped to raise at least £1 billion. Others say it is worth no more than £500 million. But a source said