Flextech plans holiday channel

FLEXTECH, the television programming group, yesterday unveiled plans to launch an interactive travel television channel which will allow viewers to order holidays while watching programmes about their destinations.

Brett Harman, managing director, said the channel was likely to be one of many based around home shopping. He said Flextech had chosen travel because many viewers already use Teletext when planning their holidays.

The announcement was made as Flextech announced a net profit, before exceptionals, of pounds 1.9m for 1997, compared to a pounds 15.6m loss the previous year. The profits were struck before exceptional costs of pounds 7m related to the start-up costs of UKTV, Flextech's joint venture with the BBC, and the costs of relaunching Flextech's own channels.

The company said it was planning to launch another two UKTV channels. The first, called UKFM, will be a music channel similar to MTV. The second will be a sports entertainment channel carrying quizzes and gameshows.

Flextech said it was still in negotiations with BSkyB, the satellite operator, about a deal which would offer all Flextech's channels to subscribers to BSkyB's digital service, which launches in June. The two companies are understood to have reachedan agreement on price.

Flextech shares closed up 29p at 535p.