OTTAWA – The CRTC will take a good look at broadcasting veteran Michael MacMillan’s plans to buy independent broadcaster Glassbox Television.
MacMillan’s company Blue Ant Media agreed to acquire Glassbox in April, as Cartt.ca reported. Glassbox, which is owned by a number of shareholders and controlled by a board of directors, owns and operates digital specialty channels Aux TV, Bite TV and recently acquired category 1 specialty channel Travel + Escape.
In the application, made public by the Commission on Tuesday, the total purchase price for the various transfers amounts to $32.5 million. Of that, $10 million is assigned to Travel + Escape and $5 million is assigned to each of Aux TV and Bite Television.
Blue Ant has proposed to pay $1 million in tangible benefits, representing 10% of the total $10 million value of Aux TV and Bite Television, but maintains that benefits should not be imposed on the purchase of Travel + Escape, as a $1 million tangible benefits package was put in place for that transaction when Glassbox acquired the channel from CTV last October.
Comments and interventions are due by August 4, 2011.
