Youview vs BSkyB: arch-rivals sit down for lunch with Jeremy Hunt

Oh to have been a Monkey on the wall at a lunch yesterday with culture secretary Jeremy Hunt held at Soho House. The guest list, a veritable who's who of UK media heavyweights, also just happened to be an almost perfect showdown between the top executives behind YouView and their arch-antagonists BSkyB. On the YouView side of the table: Richard Desmond of Channel 5, Marc Watson of BT, Richard Halton of YouView/BBC, Carolyn Fairbairn of ITV and Marc Watson of BT. And on the other side of the ring... sorry, table, was Mike Darcey of BSkyB. Fresh from a victory over unlikely allies Virgin and BSkyB – Ofcom said early yesterday it would not be investigating YouView , despite complaints from the satellite and cable operators – one attendee said: "It was always going to be lively anyway but the timing was ridiculous."