US media company Viacom has hinted that it would consider buying ITV should the opportunity arise.

Such a move would be possible under the new communications bill, which would allow non-EU companies to take a majority stake in ITV and five.

"We are impressed with the opportunity," said Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone after a meeting of the Royal Television Society in London on Thursday. "But we would first have to do a lot of due diligence and make sure any deal would refund dollars to our shareholders from day one. We look at all these assets but I am not ready to say we are buyers but I am not ready to say we are not."

Viacom operates MTV, Paramount Comedy and kids station Nickelodeon in the UK.