Speculation that ITV could be acquired by an American venture capital group mounted this week, sending the company's share price upward.

Much of the talk was ignited by an announcement by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts that Lord Clive Hollick has been appointed as a managing director at the group. Hollick, CEO of United Business Media, sold UBM's ITV franchises to Granada for £1.75bn in 2000 - at the top of the media market bubble.

When asked this week about ITV, Hollick said that buying the now-united TV company "would have a nice ring to it - to sell at the top and buy lower down," and added that he "wouldn't rule anything out."