According to a report in the FT this morning Viacom, which owns MTV and CBS, has joined the list of potential bidders for Flextech, which owns a number of cable TV channels including Bravo and Living TV, featuring programmes such as the top rated 'Alias' and 'Will & Grace' respectively.
Reports first surfaced that Viacom was interested in Flextech several months ago. Viacom has long been linked to expansion in the UK and has been tipped as a possible bidder for ITV.
The FT said that executives from Viacom are set to visit Flextech's operations to assess its value, which has been put as high as £1bn.
If the reports are correct then Viacom would join BSkyB, RTL and Hallmark TV owner Sparrowhawk, which have expressed an interest in acquiring Flextech.
"There are a lot of very interested parties and the bidding could end up being quite fierce," a person familiar with the sale was reported as saying.
Bidders now have until the end of the first week of September to put their bids forward.
Flextech is being sold by Telewest ahead of its £5.5bn merger with rival cable group NTL.
Flextech's also jointly operates the UKTV network of channels with the BBC, which include UK Gold and UK Style.
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