Cable company NTL is reported to be in secret talks with Trinity Mirror to buy the publisher’s cable TV station, Live TV. According to this morning’s Broadcast, the two companies are expected to announce the deal within the next few weeks. A spokesperson for NTL would neither confirm nor deny the report when contacted by Newsline.
Live TV, a cable-only channel famed for its Topless Darts and now extinct News Bunny, is attractive to potential buyers as it has secured carriage on all cable TV services until 2005 (see Live TV Will Be Exempt From Minimum Carriage). The station has continued to lose money for the Mirror Group and following the company’s merger with Trinity (see Trinity-Mirror Deal Gets ‘Unconditional’ Go-Ahead), Live TV is not considered one of the group’s core assets. A year ago, Mirror Group closed down the Newcastle and Liverpool broadcasts of the station due to lack of cable viewers (see Live TV Closes Local Stations).
Pay-TV operator Flextech has also shown an interest in Live TV, considering acquiring the channel and then replacing the programmes with its own interactive services. Other possible suitors have approached Mirror, and interest in the service is still being generated. It is understood, however, that NTL is now the forerunner to acquire Live TV, although an official deal has not yet been struck. No-one at Trinity Mirror was available for comment.
Separately, NTL has announced the creation of a cable TV-based multi-player gaming platform, developed in association with nGame. nGame will provide NTL with two multi-player games titles – Castle Conquerors and Berlin Assassins – which can both carry hundreds of players from across the country at any one time. The games will be available through NTL’s interactive Games Channel.
Commenting on the system, NTL Interactive’s director of content, John Hondros says: “Digital cable is the perfect platform for interactivity as it offers fast, two-way communication over an advanced fibre network. nGame is at the forefront and will further enable NTL to offer its subscribers the latest in online gaming.”
NTL: 01252 402 000Trinity Mirror: 0171 293 3000
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