RD
rdd
Founding member
No, if anything it would be the latter; as it already has a stake in ITV and there would be possible synergies both with Virgin Media itself and with its Irish content operation TV3, which is shortly to acquire the rights to ITV Studios programming in Ireland. However I'm not convinced it will happen.
IS
Yes, Liberty Media is the main American parent company, Liberty Global, as it's name suggests is the international arm
IS
Yes, Liberty Media is the main American parent company, Liberty Global, as it's name suggests is the international arm which includes it's UK operations
MF
Liberty Media? Are they the ones about to buy Formula One?
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
MA
Oh read the thread FFS
Liberty Media? Are they the ones about to buy Formula One?
Oh read the thread FFS
LL
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
Because if there's one company who've shown due care and attention to a portfolio of television channels, it's Virgin...
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
Because if there's one company who've shown due care and attention to a portfolio of television channels, it's Virgin...
VM
I'm not entirely sure how much Branson has a share of in Virgin Media, but it's certainly not very much - at one point he even reduced it. The only reason the company uses the Virgin brand is because ntl:Telewest, as was, bought Virgin Mobile and entered a licence to use the Virgin brand for all their products, hence the company renaming. Prior to that I believe the rumour was that they were going to rename everything as UK Cable or something similar - as they were still using the NTL and Telewest consumer brands separately up until that point (although advertising jointly as ntl:Telewest*).
As Larry aludes to, Virgin sold off their channel portfolio Flextech to Sky many years ago (I believe the reasoning was because they wanted rid of non-core assets, and it was also a way to get the Sky HD channels missing from the platform at that point). Of course, now they have changed direction and are beginning to offer their own exclusive acquired content from the US, through their VoD service.
*In fact I remember them inserting their own adverts over the last advert in a break when watching channels through their TV service. I have no idea why they did this when the people seeing them were already cable customers anyway. This practice of inserting their own adverts seems to be a thing of the past now.
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
I'm not entirely sure how much Branson has a share of in Virgin Media, but it's certainly not very much - at one point he even reduced it. The only reason the company uses the Virgin brand is because ntl:Telewest, as was, bought Virgin Mobile and entered a licence to use the Virgin brand for all their products, hence the company renaming. Prior to that I believe the rumour was that they were going to rename everything as UK Cable or something similar - as they were still using the NTL and Telewest consumer brands separately up until that point (although advertising jointly as ntl:Telewest*).
As Larry aludes to, Virgin sold off their channel portfolio Flextech to Sky many years ago (I believe the reasoning was because they wanted rid of non-core assets, and it was also a way to get the Sky HD channels missing from the platform at that point). Of course, now they have changed direction and are beginning to offer their own exclusive acquired content from the US, through their VoD service.
*In fact I remember them inserting their own adverts over the last advert in a break when watching channels through their TV service. I have no idea why they did this when the people seeing them were already cable customers anyway. This practice of inserting their own adverts seems to be a thing of the past now.
NJ
I'm not entirely sure how much Branson has a share of in Virgin Media, but it's certainly not very much - at one point he even reduced it. The only reason the company uses the Virgin brand is because ntl:Telewest, as was, bought Virgin Mobile and entered a licence to use the Virgin brand for all their products, hence the company renaming.
Branson had about 10% of the company when Virgin Media was formed, but it is now owned by Liberty Global who still pay licence fees to Branson to use the Virgin name. Beyond that I believe the figure is probably no higher than 2% if that? The Virgin Group probably makes more off the licensing of the Virgin name, which itself has fingers in so many pies it's hard to keep track of whether Virgin actually owns/has owned something or whether its just licensing the name.
Neil Jones
Founding member
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
I'm not entirely sure how much Branson has a share of in Virgin Media, but it's certainly not very much - at one point he even reduced it. The only reason the company uses the Virgin brand is because ntl:Telewest, as was, bought Virgin Mobile and entered a licence to use the Virgin brand for all their products, hence the company renaming.
Branson had about 10% of the company when Virgin Media was formed, but it is now owned by Liberty Global who still pay licence fees to Branson to use the Virgin name. Beyond that I believe the figure is probably no higher than 2% if that? The Virgin Group probably makes more off the licensing of the Virgin name, which itself has fingers in so many pies it's hard to keep track of whether Virgin actually owns/has owned something or whether its just licensing the name.
MF
But presumably I don't know why Branson had not been involved with ITV at all in his career, considering he's the kind of guy that could make a big business of the network...
He did bid for the 1992 Franchises with David Frost, but that failed badly
He did bid for the 1992 Franchises with David Frost, but that failed badly
IS
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
Remember that Virgin Media and Richard Branson's Virgin aren't the same thing.
Virgin isn't a big corporation as such, it's an investment company that owns or part owns Virgin companies and licenses it's brand to products.
Virgin Media for example has always had a very small Virgin shareholding and Branson was/is on the board. Other Virgin brands like the current incarnation of Virgin Radio have no Virgin involvement at all. The two Virgin Trains services are joint ventures with Stagecoach
They tend to start or fund new ventures rather than buy existing companies, especially not ones as big as ITV.
A Virgin Group takeover of ITV isn't going to happen. A takeover by the owners of Virgin Media is a possibility, they're not the same thing
EDIT: took me so long to wrote that because of real life that others have said similar things in the meantime...
If there is anyone that should buy ITV, it should be Virgin and Richard Branson.
Remember that Virgin Media and Richard Branson's Virgin aren't the same thing.
Virgin isn't a big corporation as such, it's an investment company that owns or part owns Virgin companies and licenses it's brand to products.
Virgin Media for example has always had a very small Virgin shareholding and Branson was/is on the board. Other Virgin brands like the current incarnation of Virgin Radio have no Virgin involvement at all. The two Virgin Trains services are joint ventures with Stagecoach
They tend to start or fund new ventures rather than buy existing companies, especially not ones as big as ITV.
A Virgin Group takeover of ITV isn't going to happen. A takeover by the owners of Virgin Media is a possibility, they're not the same thing
EDIT: took me so long to wrote that because of real life that others have said similar things in the meantime...