ITV (Independent Television) is the most successful commercial television network in the UK. It provides popular television for the masses. It made what America had been doing since the post-war era (commercial television) fashionable for the first time in the UK. ITV itself was founded in 1955. The Independent Television Act issued the Television Act 1954, which allowed the first commercial television network ever in the UK to be created. Before ITV there was the BBC, the pre-eminent public service broadcaster. The two have been vying against each other since ITV’s inception. ITV1 is the current heart and soul of ITV plc. It was, until 2005, the most popular channel available in the UK.
ITV provides 15 regional broadcasting licences. These were originally held by separate companies in specific regions. 11 of these are to be found in England and Wales. Others, i.e. those in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, come under different ownership, but are still regulated by ITV. Those in England and Wales are now consolidated under ITV plc (the main media company under ITV). The initial aim of the broadcaster was to provide competition to the BBC. ITV and its representative broadcasting companies supply a diverse programming schedule. Genres from drama to current affairs have featured heavily. One of its most outstanding programmes, World in Action, contributed positively to the investigative journalism field in its heyday.
However, times have changed, and so have the fortunes of ITV. Years after the Broadcasting Act 1990 was introduced, ITV saw the merging of its English and Welsh companies into the aggregate ITV plc in 2004, which was seen as a promising step. But a recent decline in ITV’s popularity has occurred, and this is linked, among other reasons, to the executive decisions of the programmers. The axing of popular shows like News at Ten (since reclaimed) has caused fluctuations. The installation of digital TV, e.g. BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting), has also taken its toll on the broadcaster. The autonomous nature of ‘private’ commercial broadcasting means it is vital that advertising revenues hold their own. Without this lifeline, these businesses are likely to go bust.
The aforementioned issues undermining ITV (programme priorities and digital competition) pose continuity worries. ITV did chance its own digital competitor to BSkyB, ITV Digital, but failed, and has since launched digital channels to compensate for the gradual outmoding of terrestrial analogue. ITV1 is facing internal conflicts as it tries to boost its entertainment value. Proposals to reduce regional news coverage and other public interest material, like children’s TV, are circulating in the offices of ITV’s production units, included ITV Studios. Critics of ITV are declaring some of its moves in promoting entertainment genres over the apparently imperative public interest programmes as being of a populist incline. Harsh times economically call for reform in company policy – after all, it is a business for ITV, not a privilege. ITV’s future is uncertain. ITV plc has already seen competitive offers made by rival broadcasters, including BSkyB.
References:
http://www.itv.com/aboutitv/
http://www.itvplc.com/about/history/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV_plc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_television
ITV provides 15 regional broadcasting licences. These were originally held by separate companies in specific regions. 11 of these are to be found in England and Wales. Others, i.e. those in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, come under different ownership, but are still regulated by ITV. Those in England and Wales are now consolidated under ITV plc (the main media company under ITV). The initial aim of the broadcaster was to provide competition to the BBC. ITV and its representative broadcasting companies supply a diverse programming schedule. Genres from drama to current affairs have featured heavily. One of its most outstanding programmes, World in Action, contributed positively to the investigative journalism field in its heyday.
However, times have changed, and so have the fortunes of ITV. Years after the Broadcasting Act 1990 was introduced, ITV saw the merging of its English and Welsh companies into the aggregate ITV plc in 2004, which was seen as a promising step. But a recent decline in ITV’s popularity has occurred, and this is linked, among other reasons, to the executive decisions of the programmers. The axing of popular shows like News at Ten (since reclaimed) has caused fluctuations. The installation of digital TV, e.g. BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting), has also taken its toll on the broadcaster. The autonomous nature of ‘private’ commercial broadcasting means it is vital that advertising revenues hold their own. Without this lifeline, these businesses are likely to go bust.
The aforementioned issues undermining ITV (programme priorities and digital competition) pose continuity worries. ITV did chance its own digital competitor to BSkyB, ITV Digital, but failed, and has since launched digital channels to compensate for the gradual outmoding of terrestrial analogue. ITV1 is facing internal conflicts as it tries to boost its entertainment value. Proposals to reduce regional news coverage and other public interest material, like children’s TV, are circulating in the offices of ITV’s production units, included ITV Studios. Critics of ITV are declaring some of its moves in promoting entertainment genres over the apparently imperative public interest programmes as being of a populist incline. Harsh times economically call for reform in company policy – after all, it is a business for ITV, not a privilege. ITV’s future is uncertain. ITV plc has already seen competitive offers made by rival broadcasters, including BSkyB.
References:
http://www.itv.com/aboutitv/
http://www.itvplc.com/about/history/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV_plc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_the_United_Kingdom
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