The History of ITV
ITV1 was born in 1955 and was the first commercial broadcaster in Europe. As a result, it is the most regulated channel in the UK, having been affected by major regulatory changes over the years.
ITV was launched in 1955 following The Television Act of 1954 which for the first time made possible the launch of a commercial television channel to compete with the BBC. ITV was made up of 15 broadcasting regions with each region run by a separate company.
The Broadcasting Act of 1990 allowed regional companies, under specific conditions, to merge for the first time. It paved the way for the consolidation of ITV – the first merger took place in 1994 with Granada buying LWT. By the new millennium, Granada owned 5 regional licences, Carlton owned 3, SMG owned 2 and Ulster and Channel remained independent.
The merger of the two main ITV companies therefore became an obvious next step – the necessary changes in legislation were introduced by The Communications Act, and the Competition Commission approved plans for the merger. In February 2004 ITV plc, owner of 11 of the 15 regional licences, was born and began trading on the London Stock Exchange.
How ITV is Regulated
ITV1 is the most regulated channel in Britain. It is subject not only to the European and UK legislation, it is also subject to licence conditions overseen by the communications regulator Ofcom. ITV also adheres to a series of codes relating to advertising.
As part of its obligations, ITV1 has quotas and commitments regarding the type of output on the channel. This includes minimum levels of output for news, current affairs and regional programming. It also requires ITV to commission at least 25% of programming from the independent sector; 35% of our network commissions are produced outside London and the bulk of our programming is originally made for ITV. We are also committed to making our programming as accessible as possible, with obligations for subtitling, signing and audio description.
As a public service channel, ITV1 also publishes an annual statement of programme policy and review of performance. You can access the latest statement via the link on the right. Additionally you can access ITV newsletters, including company news, regulatory issues and programme highlights.
ITV Channel Information
ITV1, ITV1+1 and ITV1 HD: ITV Broadcasting Limited
ITV2, ITV2+1 and ITV2 HD: ITV2 Limited
ITV3, ITV3+1 and ITV3 HD: ITV Digital Channels Limited
ITV4, ITV4+1 and ITV4 HD: ITV2 Limited
CITV: ITV Digital Channels Limited
ITV Breakfast: ITV Breakfast Limited
ITV Player: ITV Consumer Limited
ITV.com: ITV Consumer Limited
For each entity, the address and electronic address is:
The London Television Centre
Upper Ground
London SE1 9LT
www.itv.com
If you are a journalist and need further information, go to the ITV Press Centre
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ITV Network Programme Review 2009 and Statement of Programme Policy 2010 |
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ITV Wales Programme Review 2009 and Statement of Programme Policy 2010 |
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ITV Regional Programme Review 2009 and Statement of Programme Policy 2010 |
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GMTV Statement of Programme Policy 2010 and Self Assessment Review 2009 |
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