DUBLIN: UTV Ireland is included in the sale of TV assets being sold by UTV Media plc to ITV, it’s been confirmed.
There had been a question mark over whether the sale of the TV division would include the beleaguered Irish channel, which has had disappointing viewing figures since its launch in January.
But a spokeswoman confirmed that UTV Ireland is on the table along with the Belfast TV station, which kick-started the careers of broadcasters Eamonn Holmes and Julian Simmons among others.
The spokeswoman said: “I can confirm that our TV assets include both UTV and UTV Ireland – talks have always beeen about the sale of both TV channels.”
Meanwhile, reports at the weekend said that the deal – first revealed in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ in August – would conclude this week.
Analysts have also put the value of the deal at £100m (€135m) to £125m.
Speculation that the sale would soon to conclude prompted a 7pc jump in UTV’s share price yesterday, though it closed up 5.36pc. The stock has fallen 20pc from its January 2015 peak and its market value is about £156m.
It’s believed the weak performance of UTV Ireland has strengthened ITV’s hand in negotiations.
The UTV spokeswoman said it would not comment on speculation about the timing of the deal, while ITV also said it would not comment.
