TELEVISION Corporation is selling the outside broadcast unit that supports coverage of major sports events such as Premiership football.

The group has agreed a £16.8m deal to sell Visions to NEP, a US provider of mobile production facilities, large video screens and television studios.

Visions generated £14.4m in revenues and £800,000 profits last year from supplying facilities for sports events, such as racing and cricket on Channel 4 and football on Five.

The facilities cover everything from microphones and cameras to other technical equipment.

Recent agreements have included a three-year contract with Sky Sports to provide outside broadcast coverage of Premiership football matches until next year.

It also sealed a partnership with US broadcaster NBC to provide facilities at four venues of the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Other events covered by Visions have included the Booker Prize and a Ronan Keating concert at Wembley, while it also provides facilities for TV shows such as Robot Wars.

Selling the business would enable Television Corp to focus on its core content and production businesses, Sunset and Vine and Mentorn.