Finally we got out hands on the official press release with regard the merger in the UK this week between Subtv, the national youth media network, and Gym Screen Media [1].
They make strange bedfellows we believe but in the end it doesn’t matter what we think, it will all be down to Kinetic and / or Posterscope and the brands that in the past have used either network.
The UK at the moment has seen some strange alliances – Avanti Screenmedia and StreetBroadcast (aka Digital Life [2]) spring instantly to mind and a lot of it is down to market conditions, poor trading and in some cases poor business models.
Anyway, Subtv and Gym Screen Media have become Media 42 Group.
Peter Miles, who will become the CEO of Media 42 told us “This is a very exciting time for the digital media networks sector, and combining two companies with strong growth was an obvious opportunity. However once we began to explore the practical possibilities the synergies became irresistible. I am personally very excited to be given the chance to work with the highly talented management team and staff of both companies.”
We are not sure what the synergies are exactly especially when we are told that the two networks will maintain their brand identity and positioning.
It’s only production, technology (that could mean more business for Scala) and delivery skills that, at this time, will be combined.
Peter Miles is a clever chap so time will tell on this one.