S4C generously funded despite grant cut, Vaizey says

Welsh TV channel S4C is well funded despite a UK government grant cut, the broadcasting minister has said.

Ed Vaizey told MPs S4C was "more generously funded than any other media organisation in terms of the number of viewers it receives".

S4C's grant will be cut from £6.7m to £5m by 2020, but most of its budget comes from the BBC licence fee.

Montgomeryshire Tory MP Glyn Davies said there was "widespread disappointment" in Wales at the cut.

Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards said the Conservative manifesto had promised to safeguard the channel's funding, not cut its grant by 26%.

Mr Vaizey told the Commons on Thursday that including the contribution of BBC News, S4C had a "guaranteed income" of £90m "which any other media organisation obviously apart from the BBC would cry out for".

In July, he praised S4C for programmes such as crime drama Y Gwyll (Hinterland) but said it was "reasonable" to expect the channel to make similar savings to those being made by the BBC.