The Media Merchants Television Company Ltd. was an independent television production company specialising in children's programmes, run by Neil Buchanan and Tim Edmunds.
When TVS lost its ITV franchise, Neil Buchanan and Tim Edmunds purchased the rights to the programme Art Attack - both Neil and Tim had created the idea for the show while working on children's programming for TVS and formed a limited company in order to become a major player in children's television. The Media Merchants was based at The Maidstone Studios, Maidstone, Kent (the studio facilities for Art Attack and many of the company's other productions).
The Media Merchants and Television Support Services merged prior to a takeover by Britt Allcroft's Gullane Entertainment in 2000 which was, in turn taken over by HIT Entertainment. The company's offices were moved from its long-standing Maidstone facility to HIT's London headquarters.
The company was closed in 2007 following the axing of Art Attack and the decision by ITV plc to end commissioning of original children's programming. After the company closed, Hit Entertainment still briefly owned the Media Merchants' library of programmes. They still own the Art Attack archive, whereas The Walt Disney Company (who currently own TVS' archive) have the rights to make new editions of the show. However, The rights for the later series of Art Attack returned to STV shortly after, while the other programmes were brought by ITV Studios, (which incorporated Meridian, Granada, Carlton, and LWT in 2004.) Yeo Valley is still presumed to be owned by the BBC, and Quids In is presumably owned by Channel 4.
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