Senior Carlton International insiders have confirmed that it is interested in participating in the outfit, but to what extent has not yet been decided.
An announcement is expected before the end of the year.
According to sources close to the venture, GB TV, formerly GB Productions, has not lived up to expectations at Granada and the BBC since its inception in August last year.
The company is understood to have suffered because of the different agendas of Granada and the BBC. Over the past year Granada has implemented a strategy to develop and sell formats to the US through Granada Media. Earlier this year Granada handed LWT director of programmes Marcus Plantin an international role charged with developing entertainment formats for the US.
Two key officers in charge of running GB TV have already left since the company formed: Granada Entertainment USA president Scott Siegler and Granada Productions commercial director Paul Taylor.
Although neither has been officially replaced, Granada Entertainment USA senior vice-president TV movies and miniseries Antony Root and Granada Media executive vice-president international production Chris Pye are overseeing the operation in the US and London respectively. Recent sales include Cracker and Silent Witness.
A Granada spokeswoman denied claims by some BBC and Granada insiders that the venture might be wound down. A BBC Worldwide spokeswoman said: 'The joint-venture is going according to plan. We are poised to strike deals for gameshows Friends like These and The Weakest Link.'
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