The sale of Channel 5 could be the next flashpoint in the battle between BT and BSkyB, with the strategic importance of the terrestrial broadcaster expected to spark the interest of the pay-TV rivals.
Richard Desmond’s target of at least £700m, for an asset he acquired for £103.5m three and a half years ago and which until recently has never made a profit, is perhaps not so far-fetched in the context of the deep-pocketed bidding wars Sky and BT have waged over Premier League and Champions League football and Premiership Rugby TV rights.
BT has made a major dent in BSkyB’s dominance of UK premium pay-TV content, and has said that it would consider the merits of any media asset that might prove strategically valuable.
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