Scott Lynds hit by loss of more sales contracts

Media company Scott Lynds’ future as a sponsorship and cable TV sales operation has been thrown into doubt by its loss of two more cable TV sales contracts, and its largest sponsorship client.

The new Carlton Cable and Satellite Sales operation has picked up The Box, the request music video channel, and is hotly tipped to pick up the Travel Channel, both from Scott Lynds’ portfolio of four. Tara, the channel for Irish ex-patriots, which launches this summer, is also expected to go to Carlton within the next week.

In a further blow to Scott Lynds, Channel 4 has confirmed that it is setting up an in-house sponsorship sales operation. Sponsorship sales for Channel 4 was handled initially by Wood Lynds and then Scott Lynds when Channel 4 started selling its own airtime in 1993.

Carlton is also known to be chasing Associated Newspapers’ two cable operations – Channel One cable service, which is handled by Katz Media, and The Performance Channel, which is now handled by Scott Lynds.

If the Travel and Performance channels were to move, Scott Lynds would only be left with responsibility for the UK sales of Asianet, the pan-European channel for Hindi and Urdu speakers.

Scott Lynds continues to have a successful TV design and production division and an in-flight media division, which are unaffected by its cable and sponsorship problems.

The source of Scott Lynds’ troubles is the defection of chief executive Simon Lynds to radio and cable sales company Katz Media last month.

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