Trident Television
Encyclopedia
Trident Television Limited was a British
holding company
with broadcasting
interests.
It was created in 1969 to deal with the problem of fairly allocating commercial airtime
from a television transmitter at Bilsdale in North Yorkshire
which straddled the catchment areas of two independent television companies. The transmitter itself was owned by the Independent Television Authority
(ITA), the governing body of ITV
. Due to the geographical nature of the area it served allocating the transmitter to either of the two closest broadcasting companies, Yorkshire Television
and Tyne Tees Television
, would have given one an advantage over the other in terms of selling commercial airtime.
The solution was to create a holding company for the selling of airtime in both television regions but with each company retaining its own separate identity and management control. Although Yorkshire had engaged in discussions with Anglia Television
in early 1969 over shared use of outside broadcast units and regional offices as a cost-cutting measure, Anglia were never considered as potential partners for the new holding companies' interests. The third 'prong of the trident' therefore became the non-television interests of the company. However in separate developments the Belmont transmitter was reallocated to Yorkshire in 1974.
On 1 January 1974 a reverse takeover
of both YTV and Tyne Tees was performed by Trident. Plans to rename the stations 'Trident Yorkshire' and 'Trident Tyne-Tees' were vetoed by the Independent Broadcasting Authority
(the successor to the ITA).
In December, 1980 both Yorkshire and Tyne Tees had their contracts renewed but were forced to demerge. The Bilsdale transmitter was finally given to Tyne Tees as it was felt that Yorkshire had grown strong enough with the enlarged area it obtained through serving Belmont.
The demerger meant Trident's participation in ITV was effectively over. It continued to retain minority shareholdings in both companies which were eventually disposed of. Although it continued to receive rental funds from the studios and equipment leased to the two companies, it no longer earned funds from selling airtime.
The company then moved into the leisure and gaming industries, owning (amongst others) Windsor Safari Park
, several London casinos and, for a short while, a chain of betting shops. In 1982 it merged with the leisure and brewing giant Grand Metropolitan
.
In 1992, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees merged again, to create Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
with broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
interests.
It was created in 1969 to deal with the problem of fairly allocating commercial airtime
Airtime
Airtime is a free and open source radio management application for remote broadcast automation , and program exchange between radio stations.-History:...
from a television transmitter at Bilsdale in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
which straddled the catchment areas of two independent television companies. The transmitter itself was owned by the Independent Television Authority
Independent Television Authority
The Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...
(ITA), the governing body of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. Due to the geographical nature of the area it served allocating the transmitter to either of the two closest broadcasting companies, Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
and Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
, would have given one an advantage over the other in terms of selling commercial airtime.
The solution was to create a holding company for the selling of airtime in both television regions but with each company retaining its own separate identity and management control. Although Yorkshire had engaged in discussions with Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
in early 1969 over shared use of outside broadcast units and regional offices as a cost-cutting measure, Anglia were never considered as potential partners for the new holding companies' interests. The third 'prong of the trident' therefore became the non-television interests of the company. However in separate developments the Belmont transmitter was reallocated to Yorkshire in 1974.
On 1 January 1974 a reverse takeover
Reverse takeover
A reverse takeover or reverse merger is the acquisition of a public company by a private company so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public...
of both YTV and Tyne Tees was performed by Trident. Plans to rename the stations 'Trident Yorkshire' and 'Trident Tyne-Tees' were vetoed by the Independent Broadcasting Authority
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
(the successor to the ITA).
In December, 1980 both Yorkshire and Tyne Tees had their contracts renewed but were forced to demerge. The Bilsdale transmitter was finally given to Tyne Tees as it was felt that Yorkshire had grown strong enough with the enlarged area it obtained through serving Belmont.
The demerger meant Trident's participation in ITV was effectively over. It continued to retain minority shareholdings in both companies which were eventually disposed of. Although it continued to receive rental funds from the studios and equipment leased to the two companies, it no longer earned funds from selling airtime.
The company then moved into the leisure and gaming industries, owning (amongst others) Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park was a popular family attraction built on St. Leonards Hill on the outskirts of the English town of Windsor in Berkshire; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor...
, several London casinos and, for a short while, a chain of betting shops. In 1982 it merged with the leisure and brewing giant Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc is a former United Kingdom-based company operating hotels, holiday centres, entertainment centres, public houses and casinos...
.
In 1992, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees merged again, to create Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television.