UTV to bid for SMG

I have just come across the following article on the Times, The Times

It suggests that UTV is considering making another bid for SMG.
What would this mean if UTV end up with a TV network from John o Groats to Mizen Head, with UTV land sandwiched in between?

Fingers crossed then????

IF they can buy TV3 and SMG then it does change things. Buying either one is significant, but won't change the world. Let's not forget that if UTV buy TV3, ITV still has a big stick to beat them with - the programme supply contract to TV3 expires in less than 2 years - take that away and you devalue TV3 by quite some way

If they can buy both it gives them a much larger amount of bargaining power with ITV PLC.

All that said, none of these situations are likly to improve the quality of UTV's output. Their continuity (when it is there at all) now looks like a quiz channel.

Remember that if ITV plc don't buy CanWest's share of TV3 then they HAVE to sell. I would think that UTV would then be in a strong position to renegotiate the programme deal with ITV at the same time as their purchase of the channel (otherwise ITV would be effectively devalueing the business prior to sale).

Surely it would be in the interests of Charles Allen to sell TV3 to UTV, and use the cash to buy SMG. That way at least ITV plc would have all the franchises in Great Britain, leaving UTV with a service covering the whole of Ireland.

How come UTV have such deep pockets????

Sounds like a lift from an article last week, covered in this thread: http://www.tvforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20562&sid=a57317ace380dccb0989fae451b6acd6

Or the thread dealing with new idents for STV, if that link doesn't work.

Intriguing - UTV traditionally show more local programming than the rest of the network, albeit with far worse presentation. But how much interest would they have in Scotland? Also - would the name switch to UTV? Presumably the reason it was switched from Ulster was so it wasn't such a geographically dependent name - any reason why it couldn't be used in Scotland?

Well no.....SMG have already stated that the 'S' in the "new" STV name that both the Scottish ITV stations are being rebranded with means "whatever we want it to mean". So I guess the same would apply for the 'U' in UTV!

Bring them on.......!!!!!!

Why do UTV have such deep pockets?

Because the demographic of ITV's programming and the demographic of Northern Ireland are better matched than anywhere else in the UK. Therefore they have a very good audience share and the advertising revenue is very good (particularly from the government here which appears to have a limitless budget for advertising on television - perhaps that's why my rates went up 19%). Combine this with making very few programmes (and reducing the number further and further) and you have the basis of a very sucessful business. Add quizzes to it in place of continuity and presentation and you can take money from your audience directly as well.

Anyone here knows I often criticise their output, but they cannot be criticised for their ability to make money.

Don't forget they don't just do TV, they've branched out into phone services, internet and now their radio station.

Don't forget that ITV PLC are planning to return up to £1.5 BILLION to shareholders - they may be forced to sell 'core' assets such as their holdings in TV3/SMG.

As for UTV's "deep pockets", they can resort to a share issue to buy SMG's assets.

Radio stations 28 in total.

In other UTV news, they're finally dropping the official name "Ulster Television" at the end of the month. Only thirteen years after it disappeared off TV. The new name is, rather unsuprisingly, UTV plc.

Resolution 4 at the AGM, to be held at Havelock House on the 26th May, is:

"That, subject to the consent of the Registrar, that the name of the company be changed to "UTV plc"".

UTV have been knocked out of the bidding for TV3 by a private equity firm.