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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Monkey

Youview vs BSkyB: arch-rivals sit down for lunch with Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt. Photograph: David Jones/PA

Oh to have been a Monkey on the wall at a lunch yesterday with culture secretary Jeremy Hunt held at Soho House. The guest list, a veritable who's who of UK media heavyweights, also just happened to be an almost perfect showdown between the top executives behind YouView and their arch-antagonists BSkyB. On the YouView side of the table: Richard Desmond of Channel 5, Marc Watson of BT, Richard Halton of YouView/BBC, Carolyn Fairbairn of ITV and Marc Watson of BT. And on the other side of the ring... sorry, table, was Mike Darcey of BSkyB. Fresh from a victory over unlikely allies Virgin and BSkyB – Ofcom said early yesterday it would not be investigating YouView, despite complaints from the satellite and cable operators – one attendee said: "It was always going to be lively anyway but the timing was ridiculous."

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