UTV plc
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UTV plc | |
Type | Public - LSE and ISE |
---|---|
Founded | February 17, 1959 |
Headquarters | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Key people | John McGuckian (Chairman) John McCann (Chief Executive) |
Industry | Broadcasting |
Products | Television, radio, internet services |
Revenue | £92.7M GBP (46% FY '04 to '05) |
Subsidiaries | UTV Radio |
Website | www.utvplc.com |
UTV plc (also referred to as the UTV Group) is a broadcasting and New Media company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Its main operation is the ITV (Channel 3) franchise for Northern Ireland, and it is also the owner of UTV Radio, which operates the UK Independent National Radio station talkSPORT, along with several radio stations in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. UTV was the first indigenous broadcaster in Ireland and is now available to 80% of the Irish population, with a 98% availability in Northern Ireland and 70% in the Republic.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] History
Historically, the company was called Ulster Television plc, but this was changed in June 2006 following shareholder approval.[1]
[edit] Expansion
UTV plc was able to expand between 2004 and 2006, largely due to its investment in and purchase of radio stations. It has had a large increase in business turnover, which was up 46% on 2004; pre-tax profits rose by 12%, and employment rose by 500 people to more than double the figure in 2004. Of total sales of £93.7m, television accounted for £45.8m, radio in GB £25.1m, radio in Ireland £13.7m, and £8m from New Media. 60% of operating profits were earned in the television side of the business.
[edit] Mergers
In August and September 2006 UTV plc made two merger proposals to SMG plc, which operates the northern and central Scottish ITV franchises as STV. The latter proposal would have given SMG shareholders 52% of the merged company. However on 20 September 2006 UTV abandonded the plans after SMG rejected the offer as "unacceptable"[2].
On 10th Janurary 2007, however: SMG and UTV media groups announced that they had agreed the details of their merger, including a revised share split between the two. UTV would comprise 54% of the new group. Troubled SMG, which owns ITV's Scottish and Grampian franchises (which it operates under the brand name STV) as well as Virgin Radio, would comprise the remaining 46%[3]. The details were expected to be finalised before the end of January, but things then were put on hold[4]. On 28 February 2007 SMG called off the merger[5].
[edit] Television
[edit] UTV
UTV is one of the two remaining stand-alone ITV contractors left, along with Channel, with the others having grouped into ITV plc (which owns eleven franchises) and SMG plc (which owns two). UTV is also widely viewed in the Republic of Ireland where it has a greater number of potential viewers.
[edit] UTV2
UTV also operated a local version of ITV2 known as TV You, later UTV2.
[edit] Radio
UTV is continuing the move from a simple ITV contractor towards a true media company. It started by purchasing a number of Radio Stations in the Republic of Ireland and acquiring stakes in stations in Great Britain. In 2005 the company acquired The Wireless Group plc, with ownership of 16 radio stations and broadcasting facilities, which it rebranded, along with its radio stations in Ireland as UTV Radio. This purchase included the broadcasting licence valued at just over £150m. In 2005 UTV also launched its first Radio Station in Northern Ireland, U105 which broadcasts to the Belfast area.
[edit] New Media
[edit] u.tv
The URL u.tv is the address of the main website of UTV the Northern Irish ITV franchise holder. The website offers News, Sport and Entertainment news and is also home to the companies ISP services.
[edit] UTV Internet
UTV own the internet service provider UTV Internet, through which they provide broadband and dial-up internet packages. UTV operates this service in both Northern Ireland, and the Republic. Although they do not market themselves to internet subscribers outside the island of Ireland, services are also available in Great Britain. The Northern Ireland section of their broadband website is now entitled Northern Ireland and rest of UK[6].
[edit] UTV Talk
In August 2004 the company moved into the telephone market, offering free off-peak calls with a new service, UTV Talk. The service is available to customers in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland.
[edit] BOCOM International
UTV currently owns a 50% stake in BOCOM International Ltd. BOCOM broadcasts Features and Advertisements to screens located in retail outlets throughout the Republic of Ireland.
- For more information see www.bocom.ie
[edit] BMS
Broadcast Media Sales is the advertising sales house for UTV Radio in Ireland.
[edit] Art
UTV over the years have acquired a large collection of works by mainly Irish Artists. The collection, UTV Art, includes commissions and acquisitions[7].
[edit] References
- ^ UTV Plc - UTV Notice of 2005 AGM
- ^ BBC News - UTV scraps plans for SMG merger
- ^ BBC News - UTV gains ground in SMG merger negotiations
- ^ http://business.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=548&id=106142007
- ^ http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/28022007/214/smg-ends-utv-merger-talks.html
- ^ http://u.tv/internet/services/clicksilver/index.asp
- ^ UTV plc - An Introduction to the UTV Art Collection
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Companies: ITV plc • SMG plc • UTV plc • Channel Television Ltd
ITV Franchises
Northern Scotland: Grampian, STV North • Central Scotland: Scottish, STV Central • Scottish/English Border and Isle of Man: Border • Northern Ireland: UTV • North East England: Tyne Tees • Yorkshire/Lincolnshire: Yorkshire • North and North West England: ABC, Granada • Wales and the West of England: TWW, WWN, ITSWW, HTV • Midlands: ATV, ABC, Central • East Anglia: Anglia • London: Rediffusion, ATV, Thames, LWT, Carlton • South and South East England: Southern, TVS, Meridian • South West England: Westward, TSW, Westcountry • Channel Islands: Channel
National franchises
Breakfast: TV-am, GMTV/GMTV2 • Teletext: ORACLE, Teletext Ltd.
Non-franchise regions
STV • ITV Thames Valley • ITV London
News: ITN, ITV News • Sport: ITV Sport • Children: CITV • Online: itv.com, ITV Local • Mobile: ITV Mobile • Weather: ITV Weather
Digital channels: List of ITV channels See Also: ITV television presentation
Radio: UTV Radio
UK National - talkSPORT
Northern Ireland local FM - U105
Great Britain local FM - Imagine FM • Peak FM • Proud FM • The Pulse of West Yorkshire • Signal 1 • 107.4 Tower FM • Radio Wave 96.5 • 96.4 FM The Wave • Wave 102 • 107.2 Wire FM • Wish FM • 107.7 The Wolf • Juice FM • Talk 107
Great Britain local AM - Pulse Classic Gold • Signal 2 • Swansea Sound • Valleys Radio
Republic of Ireland local FM - Dublin's Q102 • Cork's 96FM • 103FM County Sound • Live 95FM • LMFM
Online: UTV Internet • u.tv
See also: ITV • Havelock House, Belfast • British TV • British TV Channels • ITV Channels
Categories: Media companies of the United Kingdom | Media companies of Ireland | Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange | Companies listed on the Irish Stock Exchange | Communications in the United Kingdom | Communications companies of Ireland | Northern Irish television | Companies of Northern Ireland | UTV