THE ISLE of Man government has sacked its former TT television coverage provider and awarded rights to all TV production, sales and distribution – including mobile and on-line – relating to the TT races to big-league independent televised sports specialist North One until 2013.
North One replaces local Manx firm Greenlight Television, which has held the TT contract since 2001. IoM tourism minister Martyn Quayle says North One's pitch stood out and would revolutionise television coverage of the TT.
This company is best-known for providing the majority of F1 car racing coverage for ITV Sport (not a good omen?) and its International Sportsworld Communications arm has owned the commercial and TV rights for the World Rally Championship since October 2007. It also covers a lot of footie world-wide but its track record in motorcycle sport is, er, opaque.
North One is actually a subsidiary of independent TV production and distribution giant All3Media, a group formed following the buy-out of Chrysalis’s TV division by several former Granada and ITV programming and management high-flyers including Steve Morrison and David Liddiment - the man credited with rejuvenating and camping-up Coronation Street while at Granada.
