The licence to broadcast ITV1 across most of the UK will be extended until 31st December 2034, after ITV followed STV in accepting new terms.
- Next ITV licence period will see services migrate to online platforms
- Historical anomalies from the early days of ITV remain, at least on paper
- ITV CEO says renewal provides certainty for the broadcaster.
The latest licence renewal is a far cry from previous renewals and may go largely unnoticed by viewers.
A decade ago, ITV licence renewal officially combined the former HTV West and Westcountry Television regions and committed ITV to broadcasting more content for the Scottish Borders.
This time around, the new Media Bill, which is passing through Parliament will allow ITV to move some of its regional programmes to ITVX. Its regional news quota will no longer solely apply to ITV1. Until the Media Bill receives Royal Assent, current quota rules will continue to apply.
ITV1 broadcasts across England, Wales, the Scottish Borders, Channel Islands and Northern Ireland. Channel 3 broadcast licences for Central and Northern Scotland are held by STV, which confirmed on 5th March that it would accept Ofcom’s renewal offer.
Ofcom had given broadcasters until 22nd March to accept or decline licence renewal under the financial terms determined by the regulator.
Blast from the past
Some historic anomalies remain. The Channel 3 Breakfast licence, created in the 1980s and previously held by TV-am and GMTV has also been renewed. ITV plc currently hold the licence, which gives full control of the entire Channel 3 network between 06:00 and 09:25. This means Scotland’s STV remains effectively a part-time service. It only takes control of the Channel 3 network in its broadcast area at 09:25.
Likewise, the London Channel 3 service remains split between a weekday and weekend licence. The split remains on paper only, as London’s weekday and weekend ITV1 service has broadcast under a single ITV brand since October 2002. Both licences are held by ITV plc.
Corporate comment
ITV’s CEO, Carolyn McCall commented on the news:
“This provides us with the certainty we require to continue to invest for the long term in our broadcast and streaming businesses and in a wide range of high quality UK produced content at the heart of national life as a PSB.
From our award winning national and regional news to our Daytime, entertainment, sports and reality shows our content both reflects culture and society and changes it for good and along with dramas like Mr Bates versus The Post Office highlights the enduring power and value of ITV and the PSBs.
We look forward to working closely with Ofcom in the coming years to ensure that the PSB system as a whole – and ITV’s Channel 3 services as critical components within that system – can flourish in a world where competition for viewing and advertising is intense.
Crucial to this is the passing of the Media Bill by Parliament and its robust implementation by Ofcom. This new regime – and in particular the provisions around prominence, inclusion and dispute resolution – will determine whether PSB as a system is able to survive and thrive in a world of global online platforms and streamers.”
Marc Thornham
[Image: ITV corporate logo, 2024 version]