No sale planned for BBC Worldwide

The UK government has said it has no commitment to sell the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, according to local press reports.

The MediaGuardian website cited un-named sources as saying that BBC Worldwide would not be included in assets to be sold by the government, while a Treasury spokeswoman said that there was “no commitment” to sell the unit, which had been included on a list of assets earmarked for possible future sale by the previous Labour government.

BBC director-general Mark Thompson last year signaled his opposition to a sale by saying that such a move could lead to the company becoming worth only a fraction of its present value.