Brilliant Is Buying Auction Broadcaster

Brilliant Digital Media, a digital entertainment company based in Los Angeles, plans to announce today the acquisition of Trojan Television, a London company that broadcasts auctions by Christie’s and other firms both on Sky television and on the Internet. Brilliant said it is paying about $7.5 million in shares for the 2-year-old company, which does business as the Auction Channel, and plans to develop similar simulcasts in the U.S. “There’s a large, developing story in auctions,� Brilliant President Kevin Bermeister said. “The Auction Channel gives us specialization in retaining the rich heritage of auctions and integrating it with technology.� Bermeister said the television operation isn’t profitable yet. In the hotly contested world of Internet auctions, no site yet offers live, televised bidding and few offer Web-casts, the company said. Bermeister said Brilliant has had talks with Barry Diller’s USA Networks, among others, about broadcasting live Web-based auctions.