Talking of mergers and acquisitions - the two main ITV companies, Granada and Carlton, finally got round to merging, though some on the Carlton side reckoned they were, in fact, being acquired by Granada. Whether or not the two companies should be allowed to merge their broadcasting, production and ad-sales businesses was an issue of contention, and when the government decided the answer was yes the advertising industry wasn't too impressed.
But their aggression baled into insignificance compared to the anger of some of the investors in the two ITV companies. Keen to get their own back against Carlton boss Michael Green over his role in the ITV Digital debackle, they forced Green to quit his top job at the newly merged ITV. Although Granada boss Charles Allen stays on as chairman, those investors are now looking for a strong contender to kick ass as the new company's Chief Executive in the New Year.