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31 January 2011
Last updated at 04:25 ET
Welsh language protesters have blocked the entrance to the BBC offices in Cardiff.
Twenty people are taking part in the sit-in, calling for the corporation to change its mind about taking over the funding of S4C.
From 2013, the Welsh-language channel will be funded from part of the BBC's licence fee.
Talks are continuing between the BBC, S4C and the UK government about how the relationship will work.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, claims that the future of the channel is in a critical situation, with the future of the language itself hanging in the balance.
The society has accused corporation bosses in London of making a "back-of-the-envelope plan without consulting anyone in Wales".
It is calling for the BBC to change its mind about taking over the budget for S4C.
In a statement the society said: "The joint plan could kill the channel if we don't have the resources to see Welsh-language content on the television and the web.
"We demand that S4C is independent editorially and managerially, with a funding formula in statute to protect the future of this important Welsh-language service."
S4C had considered seeking a judicial review over the UK government's decision to change the channel's funding arrangements but this month confirmed plans for the legal action had been abandoned.
The BBC has not yet responded to the protest, but the corporation has said previously that the independence of S4C would not be compromised by the new funding plans for the channel.
In November, more than 1,000 people turned out in Cardiff to support a rally over the future of S4C.
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Twenty people are taking part in the sit-in, calling for the corporation to change its mind about taking over the funding of S4C.
From 2013, the Welsh-language channel will be funded from part of the BBC's licence fee.
Talks are continuing between the BBC, S4C and the UK government about how the relationship will work.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, claims that the future of the channel is in a critical situation, with the future of the language itself hanging in the balance.
The society has accused corporation bosses in London of making a "back-of-the-envelope plan without consulting anyone in Wales".
It is calling for the BBC to change its mind about taking over the budget for S4C.
In a statement the society said: "The joint plan could kill the channel if we don't have the resources to see Welsh-language content on the television and the web.
"We demand that S4C is independent editorially and managerially, with a funding formula in statute to protect the future of this important Welsh-language service."
S4C had considered seeking a judicial review over the UK government's decision to change the channel's funding arrangements but this month confirmed plans for the legal action had been abandoned.
The BBC has not yet responded to the protest, but the corporation has said previously that the independence of S4C would not be compromised by the new funding plans for the channel.
In November, more than 1,000 people turned out in Cardiff to support a rally over the future of S4C.
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