British broadcaster buys Virgin Media

British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB) has agreed to purchase Virgin Media television channels for approximately £160 million, writes SFGate.

The deal will show more BskyB channels on the Virgin Cable service. The deal still has to go through a regulatory process.

"The sale of our channels business has generated substantial value," says Neil Berkett, Virgin Media's CEO. “The deal will allow us to focus more closely on our strategy of exploiting Virgin Media's super-fast connectivity."

Japan-mobile operator NNT DoCoMO is locked in battle with competing broadcaster KDDI for the next-generation mobile broadcasting licence the government plans to issue, reports TeleGeography.

While the existing licence allows the airing of digital TV, the next iteration enables the broadcast of varied content directly to PDA-type devices.

The release date is set for 2011, with DoCoMo and KDDI vying for rights to the single licence offer. Both companies are investing in the development mobile products.

Channel 4 has been barred from buying Channel Five, which has been put up for sale, states The Guardian.

A provision in the Broadcasting Act 1990 prevents Channel 4 from taking control of Five's terrestrial licence.

Channel 4 is aware of the clause, but executives have not regarded it as a significant obstacle to deal with, with industry sources indicating the law would have to be changed to enable Channel 4 to bid for Five.