Neptune Television

Emoa Neptune is the creative and technical division of Emoa Performance, and specialises in Emoa's playout, networking and design services. It has existed in a numerous amount of incarnations, originally an independent organisation and producer leading eventually to the design and broadcast subsidiary it trades as today, following a merger with Emoa Group in 2006. Despite the numerous name changes, it continues to exist under Neptune Television Ltd.

Neptune Cable Services Ltd
Neptune Television traces its roots to 1983, from a similary-named company, "Neptune Cable Services Ltd", founded by John Rees and Simon Paignton. This company was formed from a management buy-out of the Barrow branch of Rediffusion, providing relay cable-TV services in Barrow-in-Furness. The company purchased the infrastructure and subscriber base of the relay cable service, which operated the four main terrestrial channels at the time, in addition to a couple of radio stations. Neptune's intention was to upgrade this system and replace the terrestrial channels with pioneering subscription channels at the time, such as Music Box and Sky Channel, in-line with the break-up of Rediffusion accross the country. In 1985, the company went ahead to purchase the Kendal and Lakeland branches, and proposed to integrate the three networks, and expanding further into Cumbria. However, the sheer cost of upgrading the entire system, which would include re-cabling over 50% of the network and moving cables underground, proved too high for Neptune. After providing aerials for the subscribers, the company was declared bankrupt and the cable system was officially switched-off in March 1990, although due to the non-centralised nature of the networks, transmissions continued until digital switchover where cables were still connected.

Neptune Television
In late 1990, Sky News began offering out a number of regionally-based contracts to provide local news in a number of regional studios. Rees and Paignton again heard of this auction, and set up a new business, "Neptune Television Ltd", which was not related to the former Neptune Cable besides the name and common owner. Following an unopposed bidding round, Neptune was announced as the winner for providing a local news and OB service for north Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway. Rees and Paignton "leased" the former HQ of Rediffusion Kendal to the new Neptune Television at a rate of £1 pcm, which was adapted to include a news studio, playout and editing facilities. In 1993, the company also won a similar contract from Border Television.

In January 1994, the assets of the former Neptune Cable were acquired by Neptune Television, which then outsourced the maintainence and potential operation of the entire cable network to OMNE Communications (later WightCable North and now SmallWorld Media), despite it being inactive for 4 years. Neptune worked with OMNE and NTL in the fields of Video Rights Management and cable TV delivery. Border Television purchased 15% of the Neptune in 1995 as an investment to secure Neptune's OB contracts with it, and by November 1995, Neptune purchased a 2-studio complex, Delta Studios, in Carlisle. BSkyB's contract with Neptune expired in 1996 and Neptune subsequently disposed of its Kendal facilities. In January 1996, Neptune began upgrading its telecommunications and computer hardware to offer online hosting and server technologies, originally for internal business purposes by its clients.

Late 90's and peak
In June 1997, Neptune created its Neptune Plus facility, specialising in graphical design and broadcast, and this service was predominately used by Border, later also BBC Cumbria. It purchased CFM Radio Carlisle and its West Cumbria counterpart in October 1997, before beginning to form Neptune Communications, a local business-targeted telephony and ISP. Founder Simon Paignton left the company in July 1997 to join the board of Scottish Media Group, when the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange to become "Neptune Television plc".

By December 1998, Neptune began producing low-budget programmes for independent commissioners and channels, which also included local advertising. August 1999 saw the creation of Neptune Digital Networks, a digital transmission centre for broadcast and reception of services to/from DVB-T and DVB-S services, and worked with various clients. By this time, the company disposed of Neptune Communications, and expanded its computing technologies further. By September 1999, all leased technologies from Border Television ended, so the company moved all forms of production to its Delta Studios in Carlisle.

On 10 April 2000, Border sold 5% of its 15% stake in Neptune, however Capital Radio purchased Border on 13 April. Capital then went on to sell Border's TV assets to Granada plc on 17 April, which then went and disposed of the remaining 10% on 21 April. Granada terminated Border's OB contracts with Neptune early, buying out of a £2 million contract in January 2001, however the company's subsidiary ITV Digital appointed Neptune Digital Networks to improve encryption on its ITV Select services.

Decline
After the collapse of ITV Digital in May 2002, Granada ceased all technical contracts with Neptune Digital Networks. NDN was dissolved in September 2002, and all technical contracts of other clients were handled by Neptune Television Plc directly. Neptune went on to sell CFM Radio in July 2002. Neptune made over 200 redundancies between August and November 2002, and the company's future looked bleak.

However, in April 2003 the company decided to gamble on launching two commercial TV channels with the pioneering ICT specialist, Emoa Networks; one aimed at local audiences in the Border region and the other would be a music channel. ConnexCumbria was launched on WightCable North and online at connexcumbria.com simultaneously on 1 October 2003, whilst the music channel began on Sky Digital.

Throughout 2004, it was clear the venture was failing and Neptune sold the music channel to Rapture TV in Februrary 2005. ConnexCumbria closed a year later in February 2006, leaving Neptune with only a handful of technical and advertising commitments. In March 2006, it was announced that the Network Six Borders franchise, previously held by TVB, was to be re-tendered.

Neptune consulted with Emoa on the possibility on bidding for this licence, and backing was eventually found along with Cellcast Media and EMAP Performance. The consortium was originally to be named Delta Television, following the name of the Carlisle studios complex, and Neptune & Emoa were to create a new 50-50 subsidiary, Emoa and Neptune Television. However by January 2006, it was clear Neptune was in a serious financial deprivation, and unless action was taken, the company and the bid could collapse without backing. In a last-ditch attempt Neptune proposed a shotgun merger with Emoa Networks. The board of Emoa initially declined the offer, however it was later enforced in order to progress to the Network Six bid, and Neptune was purchased for £1.7 million; a fraction of the value it was a decade previously.

In preparation for the merger, Neptune went on to sell its advertising and video rights management bodies, which the former eventually underwent management buyout to become Poseidon Advertising plc. Eventually, the shared subsidiary, Emoa Television, now shared 60-40 Emoa:Neptune, was formed, devoid of the Neptune brand. On 10 February 2006, Emoa Networks acquired Neptune Television plc. Due to legal contracts, the company Neptune Television Ltd was retained alongside Emoa Television Ltd. The subsidiary brands Neptune Plus and Neptune Text Digital were also retained. Emoa Networks announced its vision for the new enlarged company, and stated that Neptune Television would gradually be completely integrated into Emoa Television. All Neptune brands become trademarks of Emoa Networks plc. Throughout February, the new company went on to dispose of Neptune's telephony and some contractual businesses.

On 1 March, the organisation was slightly changed so that Neptune became a subsidiary of Emoa Television Ltd, not Emoa Networks. Emoa Television won the Borders Network Six franchise and began broadcasting on 1 April

Consolidations and demerger
Following purchase, Emoa asset-stripped Neptune Television, merging departments with those of Emoa Networks' and hiving off assets into new Emoa-branded subsidiaries. However, Neptune's largest remaining department, Neptune Productions, retained a separate identity and financial scheme. John Rees was offered a place on the board and continued to serve Emoa Group until July 2009.

Neptune's studios in Carlisle became the headquarters of Emoa Television Ltd and Emoa Borders Ltd for a short period of time.

The commission department of Neptune also remained active, and along with the production facility, was credited with its own endcap, of which however became in the same layout as the Emoa Productions equivalent from May 2006.

Between July and October 2006, all of Neptune's assets were officially moved into other subsidiaries
 * Television productions were merged into Emoa Productions
 * Television commissions were merged into Solar Commission
 * Design, media and playout facilities became Emoa Plus
 * Teletext authoring became Emoa Text Digital
 * Both technical research and advertising were sold to third parties.

By 1 October 2006, the Neptune brand disappeared entirely.

Re-unification
Emoa announced on 2 May 2007 that the Neptune brand would be revived, as the former Emoa Plus and Emoa Text operations resumed an alliance. Assets of the re-generated Neptune include presentation design, technical broadcasting, digital and analogue text services, programme playout and satellite services. It did not regain recognition for programme production. The re-merger was arranged due to the small size of Emoa Text, which did not hold a seat on the Emoa Group board of directors and therefore did not have any say in corporate decisions. The re-merger of the company will also save Emoa around £20 000 p/a and allows all aspects of the unified Neptune to be represented in Emoa Group's board.

Additionally, Emoa ceased its interests in the shared commission arm, Solar Commission in early 2007, leading to all commissions once again being handled internally by Emoa Productions. All of Neptune's former duties are now handled by the modern Neptune Television and Emoa Productions entirely.

It is the producer of non-regional content on Emoa's analogue and digital teletext services, Six Text.

In November 2010, Neptune was moved from being a subsidiary of Emoa Television to become a subsidiary of Emoa Performance, reflecting its assets outside of television. Its shareholding remains unique within the Emoa Performance group of companies, retaining the same shareholding as under Emoa Television.

Identity
Between the mid 1990's and 2006, the company used a capitalised rounded font "Neptune" with blue circles below the "p" and above the "t", which supposedly represents the planet Neptune.

The Neptune name briefly vanished from company portfolios altogether between mid 2006 and mid 2007, as the company was split and Neptune Television Ltd traded as Emoa Plus, dumping the Neptune name on the logo.



After the revival of the Neptune name in summer 2007, a basic logo consisting of the Emoa logo and a smaller initial capitalised "Neptune" placed underneath in purple. Since it featured the Emoa logo which itself features a star, the star also become the focalpoint of Neptune's logo design. Despite this official branding, on their website Neptune made the word "Neptune" significantly larger than the "Emoa" logo above it, and rounded rectangles became Neptune's default home design.

In May 2008, a new logo, staying in-keep with the corporate star theme was unveiled, with a double-lined yellow star with black lowercase "neptune" superimposed over it to the right. It, for the first time since 2006, removes the "Emoa" brand from the logo itself. An alternative version consists of a red double star and the "neptune" logo in white. The move had been criticised by the Emoa Television HQ, which stated it "undermimed the Emoa brand by removing it from Neptune's logo", which effectively means that the company almost entirely trades as simply "Neptune".

Design work
Neptune and its interim predecessor, Emoa Plus, produce almost all design work for Emoa Television. Most recently (as Emoa Plus), it re-designed the Emoa logo for all subsidiaries, including the re-devolopment of the Neptune name.

External link

 * Emoa Neptune homepage