NTL Signs Major Carriage Deal With Flextech

Cable company NTL has this morning announced a major carriage contract with pay-TV programme supplier Flextech. The deal gives NTL access to all of Flextech’s channels, including the UKTV portfolio of stations produced in partnership with the BBC. There will also be a joint marketing initiative set up to promote the channels and particularly their availability on NTL’s digital services.

This is the first formal arrangement between the two companies and will see Flextech’s channels – including Bravo, Trouble and UK Play – broadcast on NTL’s and digital services. NTL is currently the only major cable not to have launched a digital television service, having repeatedly postponed its launch dates.

Flextech and NTL are also to cooperate in developing new interactive TV services for NTL’s yet to launch digital service. The two companies will also use their combined resources to commercially promote these new services. Steven Wagner, group managing director of NTL, says: “This deal represents an important alignment of interests between Flextech as a channel wholesaler and NTL as a multichannel retailer as we enter the digital era.”

The contract with NTL follows a similar carriage deal by Flextech with Telewest Communications, a rival of NTL’s in the UK cable market (see Flextech And UKTV Sign Carriage Deal With Telewest Digital). Furthermore, Flextech and Telewest this week announced that they have begun merger discussions (see Telewest And Flextech Reveal Merger Talks). A merger between the two groups would create a £10 billion television and telecommunications company with complimentary interests in service distribution and content provision.

NTL: 01252 402 000 Flextech: 0171 299 5000