View from City Road: Flextech deal shows HTV is switched on
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Programmes, not hardware, will drive the entertainment industry in the next millenium. So yesterday's deal between HTV and Flextech comes as a breath of fresh air after the ITV ownership battles, the focus of which has been cost- cutting synergies between franchises.
The HTV deal is primarily about creating additional programming. It stems from Flextech's desire to have a stake in moulding new programmes to feed its cable and satellite interests. Flextech - 60 per cent owned by Tele-Communications Inc, a giant US group that has both cable networks and programming ventures - is clearly bent on turning itself into a smaller version of its parent.
For HTV there seems to be only an upside: it clears its debts and it also wins the promise of further investment and the opportunity to sell programmes both into the ITV network and Flextech's cable network. In addition, it can use Flextech's international contacts to acquire and market programmes globally.
The question is whether this deal provides a workable format for other small ITV companies. They face an uncertain future, increasingly squeezed out by the Carlton/Centrals of this world.
If they can see their way to develop a role as programme providers to the cable companies busy wiring up our towns, they may find they can secure their future rather better than their bigger brethren. BSkyB may even find that, not before time, it has some competition.
There is another implication for the market. Shareholders worried about how current ratings can be sustained would take cheer from the idea of big, cash-rich cable companies like Nynex gulping down stakes in the ITV tiddlers.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments