HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Last May, after the final episode of Britain's Got Talent 2009 on ITV1, your humble servant (who guessed the name of the winner) joked that music and television mogul Simon Cowell should consider launching his own TV channel.

In June it was reported that Cowell was working with businessman Sir Philip Green in order to create a £1 billion new entertainment company - which would incorporate his ITV talent shows The X Factor (whose season finale aired last evening) and BGT, as well as other projects.

Now Simon Cowell rules out rumours that he could bid for ITV with Philip Green (http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/cowell-rules-out-itv-bid/5009069.article). « We’ve been approached by various people in the past who wanted to have a look at ITV and asked us if we’d be interested, but it’s so much work to do » he said in an interview to be shown on BBC2 Newsnight tonight.

Could ITV, which owes Cowell a lot this year (http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2009/dec/13/x-factor-itv-simon-cowell), become the jewel of the crown of his empire? The future of Simon Cowell, now the highest paid man of the US television industry and saviour of ITV, goes definitely beyond American Idol (where he's a judge), The X Factor or the Got Talent franchise - whose French edition currently airs its fourth season on private channel M6.

See also:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a161891/cowell-green-plan-gbp1-billion-media-firm.html
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a191274/joe-mcelderrys-x-factor-win-draws-191m.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article6955142.ece