Rumour has it that ITV has decided to abandon the sale of Granada Learning after none of the prospective bidders were prepared to meet ITV’s £80m price. If this is true, it will be a blow for the media M&A specialist Van Tulleken who had been managing the sale. While £80m was seen as a high price for the company, it may not be the only factor working against a successful sale. Pearson, who were considered the most serious bidder, did another deal in the intervening period with BBC Worldwide (BBC Active, as reported last month). The impending launch of BBC Jam (in January) may also be a factor in dampening down enthusiasm for owning UK educational software companies.

• www.granada-learning.com

• www.pearson.com

• www.vantulleken.com