ITV has announced the £100m acquisition of the TV stations and brand owned by UTV, the Northern Irish commercial broadcaster.
The buyout does not include UTV's radio businesses, which provide around 60 per cent of its revenues, including UTV Radio GB and UTV Radio Ireland. These will be retained and rebranded "at a later date". The company's digital media businesses, Simply Zest and Tibus Digital, are also excluded.
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ITV's acquisition "cements its shift in focus from reality television and entertainment producers in the US, to drama and factual programme makers in the UK", say the Daily Telegraph. It adds that, if approved, ITV will own 13 of the 15 regional licences for the channel 3 network across the UK.
The deal is subject to approval from regulator Ofcom and Irish competition authorities.
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