TV3 to buy Channel 6?

dmeehan

from RTÉ News

TV3 says it has no comment to make about reports that it is in the running to buy Channel 6 for €10m.

This morning's Irish Times reported that the commercial television channel was is in exclusive talks to acquire Channel 6.

Channel 6's backers include Senator Feargal Quinn, the Barry tea family in Cork and motor distributors the Gowan Group.

The paper said it understood that talks were at an advanced stage. It added that Channel 6 was also believed to have had discussions with other parties.

mike65

Dunno what to say to this "news", would anyone spot the gap if 6 was closed? What would TV3 bring to 6 that would be of any value? Or is this just a a question of the backers bailing out as they see no future in Channel 6.

Mike.

flogen

mike65 wrote: »

Dunno what to say to this "news", would anyone spot the gap if 6 was closed? What would TV3 bring to 6 that would be of any value? Or is this just a a question of the backers bailing out as they see no future in Channel 6.

Mike.

I don't know if there's any likelihood of C6 closing - it may be loss-leading but I don't think it's in that bad of a situation yet.

What TV3 would bring in terms of value is a fair question - I wonder if this will be one of their new channels (Xpose TV for example) or if this would be in addition to their DTT proposals... could be an ITV2-type channel for them where they'd have extended "after show" programming or a place where they could put their US imports should they ramp up their home-grown stuff.

As for C6 backers bailing out because they see no future in the channel, I wouldn't say that... I think the backers have always been in the game in the hope that someone would buy them out. They were never really looking to make a strong broadcaster out of c6.

Elmo

I don't know! I think this and DTT and radio buys etc coming from TV3 is just to boost up their portfolio so that Doherty Hanson can sell on a very large company, rather then a real interest in saving C6.

C6 has some good shows that I haven't seen on other channels so I am pretty happy with them. And they re-introduced me to Seinfeld which is funnier then I initally thought it was.

I don't think I have seen It's always sunny in Philidelphia on any other channel.

I wonder if they will transform C6 into 3XPOSE? I would rather keep with c6 current format with Night Shift and Pop Scene.

Rick_

Would they still call it Channel 6 though? Would they put it on the trial on DTT rather than keep it encrypted? Would the programme change?

Elmo

Would they put it on the trial on DTT rather than keep it encrypted?

I think C6 have issues surrounding rights as many of their shows are bought for Irish cable only. E.G. RTE holds the rights to CSI and TV3 hold the rights to Law and Order:SVU and TG4 hold the rights to Without a Trace.

watty

They would be better spending the money on making programs.

C6:
Only bought in old shows
No sigificant audience
Not a significant brand
No production team
No distribution network.
Low budget loss making cable channel.
Not even significant competition to TV3 for advertisers.

TV3 is able to do all those things better without buying C6. They surely aren't buying it to reduce competition?

icdg

Elmo wrote: »

I wonder if they will transform C6 into 3XPOSE?

I imagine that if the takeover goes through, this is exactly what will happen. Saves on the startup costs of a new channel. Hate the name 3XPOSE though, given the content of the show Xpose it conjures up an image of a channel full of Entertainment Tonight clones. We already have such a channel, its called E! and I think it corners the market in Entertainment Tonight clones nicely.

Don't know a better name off hand though, 3ENTERTAIN or something??? (That might get the lawyers from 2Entertain in though).

Elmo

Only bought in old shows
No sigificant audience
Not a significant brand
No production team
No distribution network.
Low budget loss making cable channel.
Not even significant competition to TV3 for advertisers.

1. Heroes, The Closer, House, The L Word, It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia
2. Does Sky One have a Sigificant Audience????
3. True Channel 6 was a stupid name for a new channel in Ireland, where most people don't realise that their is a so call 5th channel in the UK or that Setanta could be considered number 5.
4. Some Indo productions which is good to see, but cheap programming over all.
5. C6 did take over its distribution to UPC well up link to UPC network.
6. Loss making, I don't know, it a business model which could work give the right team to do it, they failed mainly on Irish programming and marketingIMO but what they do seems alright.
7. Why would you think they could try TV3 is FTA and has Corro St, unless ITV where interest in C6 they would never compete with TV3 in that market. C6 have the problem that they are trying to compete with another market i.e. Living TV and Sky One, which as far as I remember was how TV3 start up, the Irish version of Sky One was how they put it, why would you want to be like Sky One??????

Don't know a better name off hand though, 3ENTERTAIN or something??? (That might get the lawyers from 2Entertain in though).

Anything that has the word entertain in its title really doesn't appeal to me I feel that its suggesting something that it could never acheive.