UNITED KINGDOM: CHANNEL FIVE BROADCASTING WINS BRITAIN'S FIFTH TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION LICENCE
Record ID:
337791
UNITED KINGDOM: CHANNEL FIVE BROADCASTING WINS BRITAIN'S FIFTH TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION LICENCE
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: CHANNEL FIVE BROADCASTING WINS BRITAIN'S FIFTH TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION LICENCE
- Date: 27th October 1995
- Summary: LONDON, UK (OCTOBER 27, 1995) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV GREG DYKE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF PEARSON TELEVISION, OPENING CHAMPAGNE AT CHANNEL FIVE BROADCASTING OFFICES 0.08 2. SV PEOPLE DRINKING (2 SHOTS) 0.14 3. SLV JOURNALIST ENTERING ITC OFFICES / CU ITC PLAQUE (2 SHOTS) 0.24 4. GV PRESS CONFERENCE 0.28 5. SV ITC CHAIRMAN SIR GEORGE RUSSELL SPEAKING (ENGLISH) / MEDIA (3 SHOTS) 1.07 6. GV RUSSELL SPEAKING AT CONFERENCE 1.11 7. SV FAX COMING THROUGH AT UKTV FROM ITC, ANNOUNCING THEIR BID HAD NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL / JOHN WHITNEY, CHAIRMAN OF UKTV READING OUT FAX / CU 'UKTV' ON FAX MACHINE (3 SHOTS) 1.59 8. GV/SV CHAMPAGNE ON TABLE AT CHANNEL FIVE TELEVISION / EXECUTIVES WATCHING ANNOUNCEMENT ON TELEVISION (2 SHOTS) 2.05 9. SCU CHAIRMAN OF CHANNEL 5 BROADCASTING, FRANK BARLOW, HOLDING CHAMPAGNE / SPEAKING (ENGLISH) (2 SHOTS) 2.46 10.SV MORE CHAMPAGNE BEING DRUNK 2.55 SEQUENCE 5 TRANSCRIPT: RUSSELL: "TODAY WE ARE PLEASED TO BE GIVING THE GREEN LIGHT TO CHANNEL FIVE. FOR MANY MILLIONS OF U.K. VIEWERS, CHANNEL FIVE WILL OFFER ANOTHER FREE TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION SERVICE TO COMPETE FOR THEIR ATTENTION ALONGSIDE BBCS 1, 2, ITV AND CHANNEL 4, AND THE GROWING NUMBER OF CABLE AND SATELLITE CHANNELS. THE COMMISSION WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ABILITY OF UKTV TO SECURE SUFFICIENT PROGRAMMES OF HIGH QUALITY. LIMITED EVIDENCE WAS ALSO PROVIDED OF PROGRAMMES OF A SPECIAL ONE-OFF CHARACTER OR OF A MARKED CREATIVE ORIGINALITY." SEQUENCE 7 TRANSCRIPT: WHITNEY: "I REGRET TO HAVE TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR APPLICATION WAS NOT SUCCESSFULL. THE COMMISSION NOTED IN REACHING ITS VIEW THAT UKTV'S PROPOSED SERVICE DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS IN SECTION 62 P. WELL, I AM NOT GOING TO GO ON READING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THERE ARE SEVERAL PAGES OF IT. IT GIVES ME, HOWEVER, JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS OUR PROFOUND DISAPPOINTMENT AT THIS NEWS, AND A SPECIAL WORD OF APPRECIATION TO OUR TEAM. EVERYONE WORKED HARD TO MAKE AN APPLICATION THAT WE REALLY FELT HAD EVERY CHANCE OF MAKING A GREAT SUCCESS FOR BRITISH TELEVISION VIEWERS." SEQUENCE 9 TRANSCRIPT: BARLOW: "I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TRAVESTY IF A COMPANY FROM CANADA, WHICH RESTRICTS EEC COMPANIES OPERATING IN CANADA, AN EEC NEWSPAPER, AN EEC COMPANY CAN'T HAVE MORE THAN 25 PER CENT OF A NEWSPAPER IN CANADA, AN EEC TELEVISION COMPANY CAN'T HAVE MORE THAN 25 PER CENT OF A TELEVISION STATION IN CANADA, SO THERE IS LACK OF RECIPROCITY. IT WOULD HAVE MADE IT A TRAVESTY IF A CANADIAN COMPANY HAD GOT THIS FRANCHISE." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 11th November 1995 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA65KI8VDZ4ELYPPRP4R1ZLP3S5
- Story Text: Britain's Independent Television Commission has snubbed the biggest bidder in the contest to win the country's fifth terrestrial television licence.
The Canadian backed UKTV consortium - which also included Australia's Channel 10 and the Scandinavian Broadcasting System - was seen as a certainty to win the licence. It had bid more than 36 million pounds (58 million U.S. dollars) for the 10-year licence.
But on Friday (October 27), the champagne corks were popping at the offices of rival consortium Channel Five Broadcasting - a group which had bid a mere 22 million pounds (35 million U.S. dollars).
Channel Five Broadcasting is comprised of Pearson plc, MAI plc and Luxembourg's CLT.
Britain has a complicated Independent television system, in which rival companies bid for the right to run TV companies.
Usually the highest bidder wins, but in announcing the decision, ITC chairman Sir George Russell criticised UKTV's bid. He said it relied on repeat programmes and showed a lack of programming creativity.
There was gloom at the offices of UKTV as the fax announcing the decision came in. Company executives said they were "profoundly disappointed" by the decision, but would not say whether they would challenge it in the courts.
At Channel Five Broadcasting, executives were unworried by speculation of a legal challenge. Chairman Frank Barlow said it would have been "a travesty" if a Canadian backed consortium had won the licence because Canada has strict limits on foreign ownership of its media.
Channel Five is expected to be on the air in late 1996, but it will require the retuning of an estimated 15 million video recorders in Britain because the Channel Five frequency interferes with present video player settings.
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