TV3 - ITV1 Ireland?

From RTE Online:

I heard this on RTE radio this morning and well they thought it was going to shake up the Irish TV market, how I don't know?

Are ITV allowed to buy the shares then? If so, so much for Irish Independent Television, not that there is anything to watch on TV3 anyway, there is no independent programming on it.

Just been reading on Ireland on Line that ITV have first refusal on the Canwest Shares, thus it looks like a done deal, however because a bank in London has been charged with selling the shares, and looking for potental investors, this suggests ITV may not be interested.

The interesting thing is that there's rumours of UTV going about but that's probably just the ITV thing gettin mixed up...

Granada Media and Windmill Lane are the other share holders if your wondering who else owns part of it...

I was thinking about this earlier.

IF (big if) UTV bought 45% of TV3 it raises interesting questions because my understanding is that it is TV3 which has objected to UTV being made available on satellite in the Republic of Ireland.

If UTV and ITV own the same amount of TV3 there may well be a fight for the other controlling stake of 10%.

This will be an interesting game what ever happens, personally I prefer not to see ITV buy it out as what new programming will we see, though i am sure the same would happen if UTV bought it ( Unless they redo school around the corner for the southerners again ) the station needs some thing other than an ITV input of programmes and to start making some of its own.

Am I right in thinking that UTV was the main shareholder in the company before it was lauched, and then mysteriously dropped thier support and sold out to Canwest? Then Canwest also bought into UTV at the same time, are the two linked?

So now with Canwest leaving the Irish Stage, does it mean maybe that UTV will now again be interested, but would ITV want them as partners!!!!!!

Another if.

If UTV buy 45% of TV3, it would make UTV a more attractive takeover target for ITVplc. It instantly creates ITV1 Northern Ireland and ITV1 Republic of Ireland.

That could be a trap that ITV may well set.

But do ITV want all them radio stations?

Why are you suggesting that it's a trap by ITV and not a deliberate plan by UTV to make themselves a more attractive takeover target?

Well who knows what makes the powers that be, at UTV, brains tick.

I think it would be stupid of UTV not to consider it, but do they really want to be partners with ITVplc, I mean they would have to work together. Could be either UTV South or ITV Ireland!

Yes UTV did originally own a stake in TV3 before CanWest moved in, but soon pulled out again as the regulatory body at the time, the IRTC, refused to allow UTV to be available on cable in Ireland whilst also having a major stake in the only commercial station - hoping it would boost the station's chances of success with no UTV.
Suffice to say the existing penetration of UTV in the Republic proved too valuable an asset for them to dump, so they angrily withdrew.

Suffice to say things have changed a lot since then - they're just as likely a contender for TV3 it seems as ITV plc.

In terms of impact on content should ITV gobble up the remaining 45%, certainly more populist UK housewives tat is not exactly an appealing prospect for TV3, but frankly anything is better than the bottom-of-the-barrel series CanWest dredge up from goodness knows where in the US - that muck is by far the worst aspect of TV3, all those bargain basement low-rent heart-string tuggers of dramas, and all the emotional tear-laden tripe they shovel in wherever they can. To be rid of these productions, and more crucially all those feckin slushy promotions for them is reason enough to welcome Granada with open arms!

TV3's licence is also up for renewal in 2007/08 so that's another lement to consider. Without a doubt there's going to be a forced increase in home-produced content on the part of the BCI. That will be received a lot better by UTV or ITV that with CanWest. Good riddance to them.