Loss-Making Channel Five 'For Sale?'

Five may be about to be sold-off in a move that may help to consolidate the British television industry.
RTL is understood to have appointed JP Morgan to prepare a tender process for the loss-making British broadcaster.
The auction is expected to close in about ten weeks, although delays were possible, industry sources said.
The London Times has said that potential buyers include ITV, Channel 4 and BSkyB, which is 39% owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Times.
Production companies such as Endemol, which makes Big Brother, and US studios such as Warner Bros could also be keen, analysts said.
German-based RTL would prefer to merge Five with Channel 4, and retain a minority stake in the combined business.
The group is considering a range of options, besides an outright sale, including a merger of the channel's advertising sales department to save on overheads.
The broadcaster's operating loss was €10 million (£8.5 million) in 2009, despite a £65 million cost-saving programme with revenues dropping by 30%.
International group RTL Group already has 46 TV channels and 30 radio stations in 11 European countries.
It also owns FremantleMedia, which produces American Idol and Farmer Wants a Wife.
The company has tried to compensate for falling TV advertising revenue by cutting costs and boosting other revenue streams such as online platforms, pay TV channels and content production.
Meanwhile, rivals Virgin Media and BSkyB are said to be close to a deal that could presage the biggest shake-up in the commercial television sector for almost a decade.
The two companies are working out ways to survive the digital age and the economic downturn.
(BMcC/GK)