NTL Deny ITV Digital Takeover

NTL, and ITV partners, Carlton and Granada, have denied press reports that NTL has made an all share bid for ITV Digital.

NTL last night denied claims that it had made a bid for the company. Carlton  and Granada also denied that it had received any offer for the troubled pay-TV platform, recently rebranded from ONdigital to ITV Digital (see Comedy Duo Front ONdigital Rebrand).

A link-up with ITV Digital would extend NTL’s reach nationwide allowing the company to compete effectively with BSkyB, which currently dominates the pay-per-view satellite television market. The deal would also allow Carlton and Granada to recoup losses from the platform, which has come under fire from shareholders recently.

Analysts at ABN AMRO have said that they doubt NTL would be in a financial position to take on ITV Digital’s extensive running costs, but believes that a cooperative agreement could be a possible future option.

NTL: 01252 402 000 www.ntl.co.uk ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.co.uk

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