UTV to purchase TV3 ?

BowWow

Cant post link, but there's an article in today's Irish Mail on Sunday that UTV are in discussions to purchase TV3.
Wondering how this would affect Saorsat - if UTV were to place TV3 FTA on Astra?

lertsnim

BowWow wrote: »

Wondering how this would affect Saorsat - if UTV were to place TV3 FTA on Astra?

Why would they do that?

channelsurfer2

this was raised before. there were a number of companies in the running but UTV wasnt the favourite at that stage. Pity there is no link as it would be interesting to read.

icdg

BowWow wrote: »

Cant post link, but there's an article in today's Irish Mail on Sunday that UTV are in discussions to purchase TV3.
Wondering how this would affect Saorsat - if UTV were to place TV3 FTA on Astra?

That won't happen, rights issues would likely prevent it.

Far more likely to happen would be the removal of UTV from cable systems in the Republic (as was mooted in the 1990s when UTV had a deal to take up a 45% shareholding in TV3 actually agreed).

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. This story has cropped up time and time again over the past few years, I'll believe it is happening when I actually see it.

BowWow

lertsnim wrote: »

Why would they do that?

All ITV regions, inc UTV, are FTA anyway. Having TV3 FTA would enable UTV to stop paying for carriage on Saorsat. Carriage on Astra for TV3 is already being paid for. Saorsat would be left as an "RTE" carrier only - wouldn't say that would last...

BowWow

icdg wrote: »

That won't happen, rights issues would likely prevent it.

Are we talking about rights for Coronation St, Emmerdale, X-Factor etc.? All ITV programming.

UTV could have UTV-NI and UTV-ROI(TV3). Only rights at stake are an extra 3.5M people added on to the UK. Not a huge issue.

BowWow

icdg wrote: »

Far more likely to happen would be the removal of UTV from cable systems in the Republic (as was mooted in the 1990s when UTV had a deal to take up a 45% shareholding in TV3 actually agreed).

Different times - pre FTA days for ITV.

BowWow

icdg wrote: »

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. This story has cropped up time and time again over the past few years, I'll believe it is happening when I actually see it.

With the mountain of debt in TV3, the station could be bought cheaply.

The synergies of two UTVs on the island just make so much sense....

trashcan

But if UTV buys TV3 then we'll just end up with all the same ITV programmes on TV3 and their schedules will be almost identic... oh!

dobman88

Aren't most of the shows on UTV already on TV3?? The soaps, The Cube, Catchphrase, BGT, X-Factor?? Don't think it would change a whole pile tbh

icdg

BowWow wrote: »

Are we talking about rights for Coronation St, Emmerdale, X-Factor etc.? All ITV programming.

You're making the quite common mistake of thinking that UTV is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV. It is a completely separate company and in the new, post ITV Network Centre era (whereby STV and UTV agreed to turn over full control of the running of the ITV network schedule to ITV plc), the Network Affiliation Agreement is the only thing that ties the two together. That gives UTV the rights to air the entire ITV schedule in Northern Ireland. That is not the case for TV3 who have a separate deal with ITV which only gives them the right to air certain programmes actually made by or for ITV plc. Imports, sports, etc are not part of the deal - the fact, for example, that TV3 and ITV hold the rights to the same Champions League matches is completely coincidental and for a long time TV3 held Tuesdays while ITV held Wednesdays.

Sports would be the biggest trouble incidentally - the GAA has sold to Premier Sports (who are essentially Setanta by another name) its Great Britain rights and would not be happy with TV3 broadcasting the same matches free to air to the entire of Europe. Movies are again another area where TV3 would not necessarily have the same rights as ITV does.

BowWow

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/utv-eyes-up-bid-to-take-over-debt-laden-tv3-29210693.html

Just found this - its actually the gist of what I read in the Mail yesterday. TBH I wondered how The Mail had a story on their own - now I see it was just another paper's story recycled.

icdg - hear what you are saying, but don't believe there is anything here that cant be gotten over..

lertsnim

BowWow wrote: »

Saorsat would be left as an "RTE" carrier only - wouldn't say that would last...

Saorsat is only there to serve those who do not have Saorview coverage. It's not intended as a service like Freesat.

channelsurfer2

but would UTV want to take on the 80 to 90 million euro tv3 debt? I doubt it unless there is a deal to write it off... oh wait isnt that what the irish taxpayer via IBRC did for them by "parking" the debt?

watty

Saorsat is value for money even as a backup feed to the Transmitter sites.

UTV would be mad to buy TV3. Their only "asset" is a Licence. UTV could easily get a BCI DTT licence.

Sam Russell

watty wrote: »

Saorsat is value for money even as a backup feed to the Transmitter sites.

UTV would be mad to buy TV3. Their only "asset" is a Licence. UTV could easily get a BCI DTT licence.

Surely the rights to Exposed and Vincent Brown must be worth something? Perhaps not.

watty

How much would Vincent Brown cost to hire if the technically insolvent TV3 goes bust?

Exposed? Any College Media Student could do better.

TV3 is worthless (i.e. without monetary value).