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Living TV Group
Living TV Group was a British television consortium originally called Flextech from 1988 before becoming a subsidiary of Virgin Media and renamed to Virgin Media Television. It was bought by BSkyB in 2010 and renamed to Living TV Group, after which it was integrated into Sky and closed down. Challenge is the only remaining TV channel of the group that is still broadcasting.
Living TV Group and its predecessors had several owned channels (such as Bravo, Challenge, Living, Trouble and Virgin1), available in the United Kingdom on terrestrial, satellite and cable television platforms and in Ireland on satellite and cable television. Living TV Group's advertising was handled by former sister company Interactive Digital Sales (IDS) until 1 January 2011, when Sky Media took over.
Flextech began life as an oil services group, previously floated as an energy investment company back in 1983. After Roger Luard became chief executive in 1986, the company shifted focus into the media industry. Its first media acquisition was in 1990 with a 20% stake in programme producer/distributor HIT Communications; by October of that year, they had acquired a stake in The Children's Channel, when it bought a 25% holding in Starstream Ltd. (TCC's parent company) from BT. By 1992, Flextech was a media-only group, having built up stakes in local cable operators by way of selling off its non-core assets.
During the summer of 1993, Flextech entered into an agreement with International Family Entertainment (IFE), to launch a UK version of IFE's flagship property, The Family Channel (Flextech holding a 39% stake in the venture). IFE had recently purchased much of the assets of the then-recently defunct TVS Entertainment, including most of TVS' library of shows (which would form large parts of the Family Channel's schedule) and The Maidstone Studios, which became the main operational base for The Family Channel; this was a boon to Flextech, as the facility handled the channel's uplink, playout and management operations. In the autumn, talks were held with the US-based cable/media company Tele-Communications Inc. Under the original terms of the proposed deal, Flextech would have acquired TCI's European programming business (United Artists European Holdings, having been inherited by TCI via the purchase of United Artists Theaters' cable television business) in exchange for shares in TCI. By January 1994, the deal was complete, which allowed TCI to acquire 60.4% of Flextech, while Flextech acquired 100% of Bravo, 25% of UK Gold, 31% of UK Living, and 25% of The Children's Channel, increasing Flextech's control over that network.
The relationship between TCI and Flextech continued to grow; in February 1994, Flextech shareholders approved a deal in which Flextech absorbed the European programming interests of United Artists European Holdings. In return, UAEH's US parent, TCI, acquired 60% of the enlarged Flextech. Within days of the deal, Flextech brought a 20% stake in HTV for £27 million. Within a year, the stake was transferred to Scottish Television as part of its deal to acquire a 20% stake in STV. As part of the deal, Flextech agreed to license the rights to over 125 hours of the drama and documentary output from STV's library, as well as a production output agreement to commission television programmes from STV with a minimum total value of 6 million pounds over three years.
In 1995, the company raised £92 million after two new American companies invested in the company, US West (9%) and Hallmark (10%); the additional funds allowed Flextech to buy the remaining shares in The Children's Channel, gaining full control of the network.
Talks were held with BSkyB in the spring of 1996 over a potential merger of the two companies' pay-TV channels, with the aimed of a wholesale consolidation of the subscription market, which would have saved costs and created a dominant supplier of programmes in the UK subscription market and Europe. The deal ultimately came to nothing, but two years later, both companies agreed to allow Flextech's television channels to be broadcast on Sky's new digital platform. In June 1996, Flextech announced that United Artists Entertainment (Programming) Limited would adopt its brand, becoming Flextech Television Ltd. in July. The company cited that the rebranding would avoid confusion between the two names and capitalise on their brand.
Elsewhere that year, it started discussions about increasing its stake in UK Gold to gain full control. At that point, Flextech held 27% with Cox (38%), BBC (20%) and Pearson (15%). By the autumn, Flextech had acquired Cox and Pearson's stakes, giving Flextech an 80% stake in UK Gold.
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Living TV Group
Living TV Group was a British television consortium originally called Flextech from 1988 before becoming a subsidiary of Virgin Media and renamed to Virgin Media Television. It was bought by BSkyB in 2010 and renamed to Living TV Group, after which it was integrated into Sky and closed down. Challenge is the only remaining TV channel of the group that is still broadcasting.
Living TV Group and its predecessors had several owned channels (such as Bravo, Challenge, Living, Trouble and Virgin1), available in the United Kingdom on terrestrial, satellite and cable television platforms and in Ireland on satellite and cable television. Living TV Group's advertising was handled by former sister company Interactive Digital Sales (IDS) until 1 January 2011, when Sky Media took over.
Flextech began life as an oil services group, previously floated as an energy investment company back in 1983. After Roger Luard became chief executive in 1986, the company shifted focus into the media industry. Its first media acquisition was in 1990 with a 20% stake in programme producer/distributor HIT Communications; by October of that year, they had acquired a stake in The Children's Channel, when it bought a 25% holding in Starstream Ltd. (TCC's parent company) from BT. By 1992, Flextech was a media-only group, having built up stakes in local cable operators by way of selling off its non-core assets.
During the summer of 1993, Flextech entered into an agreement with International Family Entertainment (IFE), to launch a UK version of IFE's flagship property, The Family Channel (Flextech holding a 39% stake in the venture). IFE had recently purchased much of the assets of the then-recently defunct TVS Entertainment, including most of TVS' library of shows (which would form large parts of the Family Channel's schedule) and The Maidstone Studios, which became the main operational base for The Family Channel; this was a boon to Flextech, as the facility handled the channel's uplink, playout and management operations. In the autumn, talks were held with the US-based cable/media company Tele-Communications Inc. Under the original terms of the proposed deal, Flextech would have acquired TCI's European programming business (United Artists European Holdings, having been inherited by TCI via the purchase of United Artists Theaters' cable television business) in exchange for shares in TCI. By January 1994, the deal was complete, which allowed TCI to acquire 60.4% of Flextech, while Flextech acquired 100% of Bravo, 25% of UK Gold, 31% of UK Living, and 25% of The Children's Channel, increasing Flextech's control over that network.
The relationship between TCI and Flextech continued to grow; in February 1994, Flextech shareholders approved a deal in which Flextech absorbed the European programming interests of United Artists European Holdings. In return, UAEH's US parent, TCI, acquired 60% of the enlarged Flextech. Within days of the deal, Flextech brought a 20% stake in HTV for £27 million. Within a year, the stake was transferred to Scottish Television as part of its deal to acquire a 20% stake in STV. As part of the deal, Flextech agreed to license the rights to over 125 hours of the drama and documentary output from STV's library, as well as a production output agreement to commission television programmes from STV with a minimum total value of 6 million pounds over three years.
In 1995, the company raised £92 million after two new American companies invested in the company, US West (9%) and Hallmark (10%); the additional funds allowed Flextech to buy the remaining shares in The Children's Channel, gaining full control of the network.
Talks were held with BSkyB in the spring of 1996 over a potential merger of the two companies' pay-TV channels, with the aimed of a wholesale consolidation of the subscription market, which would have saved costs and created a dominant supplier of programmes in the UK subscription market and Europe. The deal ultimately came to nothing, but two years later, both companies agreed to allow Flextech's television channels to be broadcast on Sky's new digital platform. In June 1996, Flextech announced that United Artists Entertainment (Programming) Limited would adopt its brand, becoming Flextech Television Ltd. in July. The company cited that the rebranding would avoid confusion between the two names and capitalise on their brand.
Elsewhere that year, it started discussions about increasing its stake in UK Gold to gain full control. At that point, Flextech held 27% with Cox (38%), BBC (20%) and Pearson (15%). By the autumn, Flextech had acquired Cox and Pearson's stakes, giving Flextech an 80% stake in UK Gold.