Alliance Atlantis up for sale

Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., the owners of 13 specialty cable channels and co-owner of the famed Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) franchise, is up for auction, a move that experts say may trigger a bidding war for the company’s $2 billion in assets. The auction may quickly turn into a takeover battle with media giants CanWest Global Communications Inc., Astral Media and Rogers Communications Inc. all interested in acquiring some part of Alliance’s assets, which include the successful History Channel, Showcase, and other lucrative cable TV show and film distribution interests.