Monday, August 15, 2011

Tennessee time

It looks like a marriage made in cable channel heaven. Scripps Networks Interactive, US owners of HGTV (Home and Garden), Food Network, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Cooking Channel and country music network Great American Country, are to be the BBC's new partners in UKTV, who offer Home, Good Food, Dave, Watch, GOLD, Alibi, Eden, Blighty, Yesterday and Really.

Scripps NI have bought out Virgin Media's 50% share in UKTV, in a deal costing them some £339m. Scripps CEO is 61-year-old Ken Lowe, HGTV pioneer back in the 1990s, who has moved most of his company's 1,500 staff to Knoxville, Tennessee, and has this year taken the company private in the States.

Will BBC Worldwide's urbane and expensive executives enjoy Knoxville, once known as "Underwear Capital of the World", launch-pad for "Mountain Dew", and home to "Petro's Chilli and Chips" ? One expects John and Jana will give it a try....

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