BskyB buys 17.9% of ITV

So one of the latest theories being suggested (well, on Media Guardian at least) is this could increase RTL's chances of taking over ITV, with Five used as the bargaining tool and sold to Sky in return for their shares in ITV!

Five is far better than ITV why swoop for a worse channel?

Matter of opinion.

Which do you think makes the most money from advertising?

at the rate its going NOT alot, with the amout of debt itv & STV have!

Looks like BSkyB's tactic worked. BBC Breakfast have just announced that ntl:Telewest have given up on their bid to buy ITV! I wonder how quickly BSkyB will off-load their shares now.

Yeah funny that eh? Thing is though it looked like even if Sky didn't buy any shares ITV would have rejected the offer from NTL.

If NTLE was clever there could buy the SKY shares!

Could NTL actually do that though? Sky bought the shares to put a spanner in the works and they succeeded.

So did it mean that NTL failed in their bid because they weren't allowed to own Sky shares?

It's a fascinating sequence of events though. In effect ITV has stopped both of its commercial rivals from being stronger in one move..,

Not sure I follow your logic there...

and the bid is now cancelled... (as you already know)

http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=3957