Response to the Competition Commission decision to block Kangaroo

04/02/2009

Michael Grade and the three shareholders in Kangaroo - BBC Worldwide, ITV & Channel 4 - issued statements today following the Competition Commission’s decision to block Kangaroo.

Michael Grade, Chairman and Chief Executive of ITV said:
“We are surprised by this decision because we believed that the Kangaroo joint venture, competing in a crowded online world against dominant global brands, was an attractive UK consumer proposition, free at the point of use.

“However, in the two years since the idea for Kangaroo was born, the success of ITV.com has proved that our UK content is attractive enough to stand on its own and we remain focussed on our online growth.

We will provide a further update on our online plans with our full year results on March 4”.

Responding to the Competition Commission findings, BBC Worldwide, ITV plc and Channel 4 said:

“We are disappointed by the decision to prohibit this joint venture. While this is an unwelcome finding for the shareholders, the real losers from this decision are British consumers. This is a disproportionate remedy and a missed opportunity in the further development of British broadcasting.”

Press contact:

Sophy Silver
sophy.silver@itv.com