ITV is celebrating 70 years across its broadcast schedule, with archive content from ITV’s seven decades of broadcasting available on ITVX.
- First commercial TV channel in the UK reaches milestone.
- Broadcaster faced bumpy transition to digital TV and streaming services.
At 7:15pm on this day in 1955, ITV made its debut as the UK’s first commercial television channel. Just an hour later, the country saw its first televised advert. Seventy years on, ITV has acknowledged the milestone, stating it will “take time to reflect and celebrate.”
To mark the occasion, the broadcaster is making a selection of archival material available to stream, including some rarely seen and newly restored programmes. These are accessible via its streaming platform, ITVX.
Throughout 22 September, ITV will acknowledge and celebrate the occasion across its schedules.
A Changing Landscape
Television has undergone significant transformation since ITV’s launch. The past three decades have been particularly disruptive: the rise of first-generation digital TV in the late 1990s allowed ITV to expand into multiple channels, while the shift to online streaming reshaped how audiences consume content in the past few years.
ITV struggled during both transitions. Its pay TV experiment collapsed in 2002, and early streaming efforts—such as ITV Player and ITV Hub—were widely criticised for technical issues. ITVX, despite its big launch in 2022, is still a relative minnow in a streaming market dominated by Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+.
It’s also worth noting that ITV’s 70th anniversary doesn’t apply uniformly across the UK. Some regions didn’t receive ITV broadcasts until years later. Border Television, for instance, which served viewers near the English-Scottish border, didn’t begin operations until 1961. Border alongside other regional companies which formed the ITV network eventually consolidated in to a single company – except for STV, which maintains the licence to broadcast in central and northern Scotland.
Current Challenges
Today, ITV faces fresh pressures. A decline in traditional TV advertising and growing competition from international streaming services have forced the company to make cuts. These will be visible from January, with a pared-down daytime schedule on ITV1. ITV has also lost out on some sports rights including live cycling and snooker, which will affect ITV4 and ITVX.
Commemorations So Far
Some regions have aired retrospective segments on ITV’s history. Earlier this year, Queen Camilla visited the set of the drama Trigger Point and met with ITV staff and performers. In September, a formal event was held at London’s Guildhall—the same venue from which ITV’s first programme was transmitted in 1955.
By: Marc Thornham