Nine, Imparja close to deal

THE Nine Network is on the verge of clinching a deal with indigenous-owned Imparja Television to sell its Darwin operations.

THE Nine Network is on the verge of clinching a deal with indigenous-owned Imparja Television to sell its Darwin operations.

While Alice Springs-based Imparja remained tight-lipped on the deal, a Nine Network source close to the negotiations confirmed to Media that Imparja had put forward an offer to buy Nine's Territory Television (TT). Nine expects to have a formal position on the offer by the end of this week.

The source said a cost-cutting drive by Nine was not behind the deal. "We weren't in the market to sell this asset," the source said. "It's always been a good business. Imparja made the approach."

It is understood that Nine, which is majority-owned by private equity group CVC-Asia Pacific, is negotiating with Imparja over a long-term supply agreement to broadcast Nine's content. It is also understood Nine is seeking to ensure staffing levels stay constant if the deal proceeds.

Imparja Television chief executive Alistair Feehan did not respond to Media's request for comment, but told the ABC on Friday he had no reason to believe Nine was selling its assets. Nine spokesman Scott Briggs declined to comment on the negotiations yesterday.

Reports that Imparja, which is wholly owned by NT and South Australian Aboriginal shareholders and employs about 60 staff, would slash staff at Nine's Darwin newsroom to two journalists and one cameraman if it was sold were denied by TT's general manager Andy Bruyn in an informal addresses to individual staff.

A source at Nine said their Darwin news had always been locally produced and the network would be seeking to ensure that remained the case.

Territory TV employs 46 people, including journalists, production staff, sales staff and camera operators. There are currently four reporters, a news director and a newsreader making up the team of journalists producing Darwin's only commercial locally-produced news service.

Channel Seven broadcasts interstate news in Darwin, as does Channel Ten, which broadcasts digitally.

If Nine's deal with Imparja goes ahead, it will be a boon for the Aboriginal-owned station, which was established in 1988 and broadcasts by satellite to remote regions across a huge swathe of eastern Australia.

Imparja bills itself as the country's "last truly independent TV station" and broadcasts to an audience of 430,000 people.

It has a small news team based in Alice Springs, but most of its news is sourced from Nine, after the station secured a deal in February to broadcast its content.

Imparja also broadcasts via the National Indigenous TV station and eight Aboriginal radio

stations.