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City-TV from Thames Television

Channel 5 licence application (December 2012)

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IS
Inspector Sands
Thinker posted:
The company that bought Thames (Pearson) would eventually be one of four investors in the consortium that launched Channel 5 in 1997. Barely a victory, but somewhat worth noting.

Yes, though it's worth remembering that Pearson TV was essentially a rebrand of Thames, Pearson didn't do any (or very little) TV before they took it over. Thames was the basis for the company who then combined it with other acquisitions like Grundy.
:-(
A former member
Here a Question, what would have happened if Thames and TVS had merged?
WH
Whataday Founding member
I think TVS' finances were in such a sorry state, Thames wouldn't have touched them with a bargepole. It says a lot that TVS couldn't even continue as an indie despite producing some very popular shows at the time.
:-(
A former member
Whataday posted:
I think TVS' finances were in such a sorry state, Thames wouldn't have touched them with a bargepole. It says a lot that TVS couldn't even continue as an indie despite producing some very popular shows at the time.


No no no............ Wink

There was a BIDDING WAR , turns out It was included Zip file of old pages which needed to put back in I never clicked.

After ITV
Quote:
In 1992, a number of American companies were interested in acquiring the company, from the likes of TCW Capital, International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE) and Lorne Michaels[2] A number of Shareholders reject the offer from (IFE) as there believed there could get more if the allowed the biding war to take place. As a result, IFE was forced to increase its takeover bid from $68.5 million offered in June 1992[3] to the final $90 million offer January 1993. FE chief exec Tim Robertson said he wanted IFE to become a "global boutique" that would carve out niche markets around the world for quality family programming[4]. TVS Entertainment was sold on 1 February 1993 to the American Company International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE). Later that year in September, IFE launched a UK version of The Family Channel based in The Maidstone Studios and using some elements of the TVS programme archive. Flextech were a partner in the venture, taking a 39% stake in the business.[5]


TVS could have made a hell of a lot of money of there just sold of MTM rights, and could have merged with thames after that, there could have stayed with Maidstone and made a killing
Last edited by A former member on 1 January 2013 10:08pm
WP
WillPS
What if just about anything else had happened to TVS - the archive would be intact.

It's a pretty cruel set of circumstances
AM
amosc100
Didn't Channel M use some of City TV's programming during all era's of its schedule's?
HC
Hatton Cross
Whataday posted:
I think TVS' finances were in such a sorry state, Thames wouldn't have touched them with a bargepole. It says a lot that TVS couldn't even continue as an indie despite producing some very popular shows at the time.


MTM was crippling TVS - Given the £59.8million bid offered in the 93 auction it was totally unsustainable had they won, and quite probably would have gone under. The ITC forced the issue by not giving them the keys to the South for a longer period.

You are right - Thames would never have merged/took over TVS, and of course, the main shareholder of Thames were looking to exit the tv business whilst they were still bidding for the London weekday franchise. So to add to the television portofolio with TVS was never on.

Pretty obvious had Thames retained the francise, with the huge bid they offered (Ignoring the fact they were retrospectivly reduced over the interviening years) they would have sold up the shares and got out pretty quickly - and it doesn't take an idiot to work out who would have brought them..
..Carlton Communications. Wink
WH
Whataday Founding member
Hatton Cross posted:
Pretty obvious had Thames retained the francise, with the huge bid they offered (Ignoring the fact they were retrospectivly reduced over the interviening years) they would have sold up the shares and got out pretty quickly - and it doesn't take an idiot to work out who would have brought them..
..Carlton Communications. Wink


Which makes you think, given we had no idea the amounts bid werent going to last the course, why didnt Carlton hold fire and snap up Thames a bit later on?
:-(
A former member
Whataday posted:
Hatton Cross posted:
Pretty obvious had Thames retained the francise, with the huge bid they offered (Ignoring the fact they were retrospectivly reduced over the interviening years) they would have sold up the shares and got out pretty quickly - and it doesn't take an idiot to work out who would have brought them..
..Carlton Communications. Wink


Which makes you think, given we had no idea the amounts bid werent going to last the course, why didnt Carlton hold fire and snap up Thames a bit later on?


CPT TV could have won it thus Thames and Cartlon would lose out,

Either way it makes No sense as some parts of Thames NEVER wanted to sell carlton: http://www.tvforum.co.uk/tvhome/fall-grace-itv-channel-3-38792/
IS
Inspector Sands
Whataday posted:
Which makes you think, given we had no idea the amounts bid werent going to last the course, why didnt Carlton hold fire and snap up Thames a bit later on?

That would have been more risky, what if Carlton hadn't have bid at all hoping to takeover Thames instead what would have happened had Thames lost to someone else?

Also Carlton went down the publisher-broadcaster route. If they'd taken over Thames and wanted to do something similar (and in the long term Thames would have shrunk anyway) then they would have had to have dealt with restructuring, redundancy, changes to contracts etc as well as Thames' pension liabilities and union agreements. Starting from scratch avoided all that, they could create a small, efficient modern broadcaster from scratch
WH
Whataday Founding member
Inspector Sands posted:
Whataday posted:
Which makes you think, given we had no idea the amounts bid werent going to last the course, why didnt Carlton hold fire and snap up Thames a bit later on?

That would have been more risky, what if Carlton hadn't have bid at all hoping to takeover Thames instead what would have happened had Thames lost to someone else?

Also Carlton went down the publisher-broadcaster route. If they'd taken over Thames and wanted to do something similar (and in the long term Thames would have shrunk anyway) then they would have had to have dealt with restructuring, redundancy, changes to contracts etc as well as Thames' pension liabilities and union agreements. Starting from scratch avoided all that, they could create a small, efficient modern broadcaster from scratch


...a strategy that lasted all of 18 months when they decided to take over Central.
WP
WillPS
This brings me to an interesting point I often ponder.

By the 90s, cash-rich Granada had invested into several 'non-core' businesses such as motorway service stations and theme parks. These were all sold (in the case of the theme parks, at far below their face value) in the late 90s and early 00s to free up cash, allowing Granada to compete effectively in the 'smash and grab' days of purchasing other franchisees and ultimately become the behemoth that is ITV plc.

Would Granada be a better business today if they had actually sold their television interests for a healthy price, and maintained their other interests?

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