Last Stages Of Broadcasting Bill Cause Take-Over Rumours
The final reading of the Broadcasting Bill in the Commons next week is starting to fuel industry rumours and speculation over who will take-over what under the new ownership rules.
The Bill will prevent newspaper groups with more than 20% of national circulation from taking control of a terrestrial television company; it is rumoured today that the Mirror Group, which has around 26% of the national newspaper market, is interested in buying an ITV company. Selling its Sunday title, The People, would cut their market share to the 20% limit. The only other national newspaper group to have more than 20% share is News International, with around 37% share.
Possible purchasers are considered to be Liberty Publishing, the company formed by the Fayed family, which has recently bought Punch magazine and the ailing radio station Viva, and tried to buy the Observer. It is also rumoured that the buyer of the People might buy the Daily Star from United News and Media to form a seven-day operation.
| Newspaper Group | Survey : ABC Total | May 1996 | Group Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegraph | Daily Telegraph | 1,047,652 | 6.0 |
| Sunday Telegraph | 666,971 | ||
| Sport | Sunday Sport | 261,902 | 0.9 |
| News International | Sunday Times | 1,274,641 | 36.8 |
| Times | 676,422 | ||
| Sun | 4,009,023 | ||
| News Of The World | 4,562,655 | ||
| Mirror Group | People | 2,057,131 | 26.2 |
| Daily Mirror | 2,453,927 | ||
| Independent | 273,236 | ||
| Sunday Mirror | 2,410,125 | ||
| Independent On Sunday | 298,927 | ||
| Guardian | Guardian | 395,446 | 3.0 |
| Observer | 454,385 | ||
| FT | Financial Times | 302,266 | 1.1 |
| Express | Daily Star | 766,387 | 11.3 |
| Daily Express | 1,229,679 | ||
| Sunday Express | 1,228,949 | ||
| Associated | Daily Mail | 2,089,988 | 14.8 |
| Mail On Sunday | 2,127,522 | ||
| Total | 28,587,234 |
Source: May ABCs