Channel 4 for sale: ITV, Comcast, Discovery, Paramount and Outside Bet Vivendi are all advertised as broadcaster “It’s A Sin” sales process kicks off

ITV, Comcast, Discovery and Paramount have been cited as potential Channel 4 buyers, as well as outsiders such as European giant Vivendi when the UK government’s two-year process begins to privatize and sell the station.

Sources indicated that each potential bidder will look into the process in detail to see how the crucial powers of Channel 4 will change. If, for the first time since its creation in 1982, it is possible to own the rights to its programs, the network will become quite promising. .

Deadline spoke to various channels inside and outside Channel 4 to find out who might be interested in buying when it gets to the sales block, the government was valued at მილი 1 billion ($ 1.3 billion) when the controversial information on privatization leaked earlier. Sunday. Some sources question the value and point to a lack of government cost analysis.

UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, itvThere is an obvious starting point, and the addition of Channel 4 to its roster will be another line forward in the form of an alternative youth channel responsible for the hits, including არის it’s a shame Y Contact lenses.

Asking for an offer, one of the Channel 4 insiders told ITV that he wanted it to be as different as possible.

“Channel 4 is a very strong brand, you have access to people aged 16-24, so ITV doesn’t want to destroy this brand and I imagine it will keep them very separate,” added the source.

However, the sources indicated that the competition concerns were partly due to the fact that ITV would have taken about 70% of the advertising market if it acquired Channel 4. The situation is similar in France, where public broadcasters M6 and TF1 are making regulatory loops. The merger proved highly controversial.

“It will have a seismic impact on competition and I don’t know how UK regulators will react,” added the former Channel 4 chief executive.

the master of the sky Comcast Some have been announced but may face similar difficulties.

Sky has advertising deals with Channel 5 and UKTV and therefore will take half of the market (55%) if Channel 4 is added. This could lead to a discussion where ITV and Sky offer to stop dominating another market, the former suggests. Channel 4 director.

One of Sky’s insiders noted the strength of the ties between Sky and Channel 4 in areas such as sport, while their respective UK CEOs Stephen Van Ruyen and Alex Mahon understand they have a good relationship, but the insider was reading if applicable. to Channel 4. As part of Comcast’s business model for Sky, it manages its own programs and opens up studio space.

In particular, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is consulting on this process with Andrew Griffith, director of his 10th political division, who was previously Sky’s chief financial officer and has extensive knowledge of the industry. Griffith himself was heavily involved in a failed plan 15 years ago to merge Channel 4 and Sky’s advertising teams in the context of the global recession.

David Zaslav’s Discovery, meanwhile, is busy merging WarnerMedia to completion, but bidders haven’t submitted bids for over a year and Zaslav may be tempted right now.

“Zaslav is interested in some things, but he can make crazy decisions and Channel 4 is exactly the network he is watching,” the former Channel 4 executive said a few months after Discovery held informal talks. Acquire.

However, the US media giant in the UK, along with BT Sport, is in the early stages of manipulating the JV, giving it access to key sports rights, which could put Channel 4 on its priority list.

And then there is SupremeAnyone who performed flawlessly in Channel 5’s successful linear UK operation and might try to replicate the experience with a larger, world-renowned network.

Looking beyond the UK and the US, leading media voice Claire Enders, who runs Enders Analysis, has suggested some European hubs such as livedWhich controls a third of Banijay, the main supplier of Channel 4 and parent company of RTL BertelsmannWho owned Fifth Channel between 2005 and 2011.

Both possess numerous media assets across Europe and the footprints of the burgeoning UK market can be tempting.

Enders and all sources agreed that the crux of the matter is how to adapt the powers exercised by the government of Channel 4 so that it can produce internal broadcasts and own the rights to those broadcasts.

If that were the case, Canale 4 would quickly become a more attractive proposition, while production companies would lose ground.

“The result is the clear result and identity of the Channel 4 whistleblowers,” added Enders, who predicted that UK producers’ trade organization Pact would fight on behalf of its members.

Documents obtained from Financial Times Canale 4 yesterday unveiled a failed alternative plan to avoid privatization, which involved the creation of a joint venture from which it could attract private investments and exercise these secondary sales rights.

დება What happens next?

Canale 4 is now playing the game of anticipation and buyers have little time to test the process and prepare offers.

The network privatization legislation will go into effect on May 10, but it will take 12-18 months to pass through parliament, during which time it is likely to be under the brutal scrutiny of the opposition Labor Party, the House of Lords and some Conservatives. politicians. He opposed the movement.

Doubts remain at which point potential buyers will be given the green light to bid and whether this can be done before legislation is formally enacted to allow for faster privatization after the sale.

“The government wants to lock us up [new] “Meet before the beauty pageant,” Channel 4 Insider said.

During a town hall-style meeting with staff on Tuesday, roughly 24 hours after his internal email leaked to the press, the CEO of Channel 4 Mahon reminded staff that the process could take up to two years and, thus, the daily routine remains normal.

Deadline thanked them for their hard work, in a heartfelt speech focusing on recent hits like Channel 4’s impressive 44 BAFTA TV nominations.

Canale 4 has long been political football and sometimes it’s easy to forget its contents. Potential buyers will do well to keep this in mind.