The radio station beloved by White Van Man, and the biggest commercial television channel in Northern Ireland, were never obvious bedfellows.
TalkSport and UTV are now preparing to split as their parent company, UTV Media, says it is in talks about selling its television operations — reportedly to ITV, although there has been no confirmation.
UTV Media shares rose 2 per cent to 160p. The television arm made pre- exceptional profits of £6.5 million last year and could be worth £65 million.
However, Thomas Singlehurst, a media analyst at Citigroup, said that it was difficult to value the business without knowing how much of the £41.5 million in revenues come from its existing programming relationship with ITV, which could affect the sale price.
UTV is the equivalent of ITV in Northern Ireland, with the prime Channel 3 slot after BBC 1 and 2, and it airs many ITV shows including Coronation Street and The X Factor.
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The planned sale is believed to include UTV Ireland, a new TV channel that launched this year in the Republic of Ireland, which is loss-making after struggling to win audiences.
Fidelity, the fund manager, is the top shareholder in UTV Media with about 10 per cent.