Richard Desmond, new owner of Channel 5, could pay as little as £20 million ($30 million) for the reality show, one insider tells me. Desmond wants the Endemol show to transfer from Channel 4, where it ended its 11th series this week, to his new Channel 5. Channel 4 paid £60-65 million in a three-year deal for the Big…

That's what CEO Dawn Airey told senior managers at a group meeting this morning. Richard Desmond, Five's new owner, told Sky News that he's planning to invest £50-100 million ($77-155 million) in Five's schedule. He can afford it. The Sunday Times Rich List has estimated his personal fortune to be just under £1…

The UK newspaper baron is apparently thinking of transforming Five into a UK version of E! Entertainment, the US channel which broadcasts a stream of celebrity news and profiles. Apart from owning the tabloid Daily Express, Richard Desmond also owns weekly OK! — a downmarket version of Spain's ¡Hola! – which seems to…

The newspaper tycoon is in pole position to win control of Five, reports the Sunday Times. Deadline predicted Desmond would take over the channel three weeks ago. Desmond will honour long-term US programming contracts for shows include CSI and Law & Order, but will bring in more reality TV and chat-shows. Endemol is…

EXCLUSIVE: The European TV producer Endemol will not be among those bidding for the UK's fifth terrestrial channel. ITV has also walked away from the auction, as has BSkyB and Time Warner. Endemol's founder John De Mol is bidding, as is Richard Desmond, owner of Express Newspapers. Endemol may still try and get its Big…

Richard Desmond, owner of Express Newspapers, is seen as a frontrunner to buy UK terrestrial channel Five. Other bidders include John De Mol, founder of TV producer Endemol (Big Brother), and Endemol itself, which De Mol's investment company Cyrte Investments owns one third of. You may wonder, as I have, why De Mol…