Channel 4, the British free-to-air public broadcast television channel funded by its commercial activities, starts broadcasting.

Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded entirely by its commercial activities, including advertising. It began its transmission in 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in the United Kingdom. At the time, the only other channels were the licence-funded BBC1 and BBC2, and a single commercial broadcasting network, ITV.

Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription, other ongoing cost, or one-off fee. In the traditional sense, this is carried on terrestrial radio signals and received with an antenna.

Public broadcasting is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission tends to be public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions and donations, public financing, and corporate underwriting.

November 2 is the 306th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 59 days remain until the end of the year.