vmtv and ids chronicle 1990-2007
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1990 Jan Flextech buys 20% of HIT Communications PLC
Sept Buys 24.9% of The Children’s Channel, and 43.3% of Cable Holdings Ltd
Dec Bravo launches on Intelsat
1991 Jun Buys another 41.8% of The Children’s Channel
Dec TCI acquires 25% interest in The Children’s Channel
1992 Jun Flextech sells oil interests for £55.3 million
Nov UK Gold launched
1993 Jul Bravo moves to Astra
Sep Launch of UK Living and The Family Channel on Astra. Bravo, The Children’s
Channel, UK Gold, UK Living, The Family Channel, Discovery Channel Europe
and Country Music Television Europe join The Sky Multi-Channel package
1994 Feb Merger between Flextech and programming business interests of UAEH
Increases its interest in IVS to 91%
1995 May Bravo first cable/satellite channel to launch a website
Aug Flextech acquires a 20% interest in Scottish Television
Sep Disposal of IVS for £36m
1996 Apr Flextech Plc ordinary shares admitted to the London Stock Exchange
Jul United Artists Programming renamed Flextech Television
1997 Feb Family Channel rebranded Challenge TV and Trouble launched
Mar Flextech and BBC Worldwide form UKTV, a 50:50 joint venture
Apr Flextech increases UK Living holding to 100%
UK Gold and Flextech sales teams merge to form Flextech Television Sales
Jul Sells investment in HIT Entertainment for £7.5 million
Oct UK Living rebranded as Living
Nov Flextech and BBC Worldwide launch UK Horizons, UK Arena, UK Style and relaunch
UK Gold
1998 Mar TCC replaced by a 13 hour extended service of Trouble
Apr TV Travel Shop is launched, and Flextech Interactive is formed
Oct UK Play launched
1999 Nov Flextech buys programme distributor Minotaur
2000 Mar UK Drama launched
Apr Telewest and Flextech complete merger
Nov UK Play rebranded as PLAY
2001 May Living carries Flextech’s first interactive ad (Billy Elliot video)
Nov UK Food launched
Dec Living rebrands as LivingTV
UK Gold carries UKTV’s first interactive ad, for Butlins
2002 Feb BSkyB, Flextech Television & UKTV agree five year carriage deal
Mar Flextech Television Sales relaunched as ids – interactive digital sales
Flextech becomes first broadcaster to offer impulse response IA across all its
channels
Sep PLAY closed
Oct UK History launched
2003 Jan Ftn and UK Bright Ideas launched
Jul Trouble Reload launched
Nov UKG2 launched
2004 Mar UKTV rebrands channels with a UKTV prefix
UK Horizons closes and is replaced by UKTV People and UKTV Documentary
May LivingTV rebrands as LIVINGtv
Oct ids wins Media Week Sales Team of the Year
Nov ids wins Campaign Broadcast Sales Team of the Year
Dec LIVINGtv2 launched
2005 Jan LIVINGtv wins Broadcast Channel of the Year
Feb UKTV Style Gardens launched
Aug Mark Howe leaves ids
Sep James Wildman appointed MD of ids
May Telewest buys Sit-Up TV
Nov Bravo and LIVINGtv launch on mobile TV
2006 Feb Malcolm Wall appointed CEO of Telewest’s Content Division
Mar ntl and Telewest complete merger
Player launched
May ids publish “New Language for the New Medium of Television” book
ntl: Telewest completes its acquisition of Virgin Mobile
Aug Setanta Sports sales contract won by ids
Sep Player rebranded as Bravo 2
Nov Jonathan Webb appointed MD of Flextech
ntl bids for ITV
Dec BSkyB buys 17.9% of ITV
2007 Jan UKTV Style Gardens becomes UKTV Gardens
Setanta Golf launches
Feb ntl rebrands as Virgin Media
Flextech Television rebrands as Virgin Media Television
Jul Minotaur sold to Target Entertainment
Aug Setanta begins Premier League coverage
Oct UKTV G2 rebrands as Dave
Virgin 1 launches
Ftn and UKTV Bright Ideas close
Nov Setanta Sports News launches
