By Graham Hayday, 16 July 2001 08:10
NEWS No one can seem to agree whether ITV Digital - the company formerly known as ONDigital - has been subject to a bid from NTL. Several UK newspapers claim NTL has indeed put in an offer - a claim denied by the company itself. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Barclay Knapp, chief executive of NTL, was seen visiting ITV Digital's London HQ last week, with notoriously reliable television executives saying he was there for high-level talks with Stuart Prebble, the CEO of ITV and ITV Digital. The paper claims that Knapp would support NTL's bid because it offers a long-term future for the business (ignoring other rumours that NTL itself isn't exactly on top of the world). But today's FT paints a very different picture, saying that ITV Digital's owners Carlton Communications and Granada have explicitly denied the existence of any talks - as has Knapp himself. The pink pages quote him as saying: "NTL had made no offer to acquire ITV Digital. ITV Digital's discussions with virtually everyone in the industry has been well documented as they have looked for ways to improve their situation." So that's cleared that one up then. We'll have more on this as and when it emerges...
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