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ITV (TV network)

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The Yorkshire Television studios in Leeds, a historic media facility.

ITV is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television. ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it has been legally known as Channel 3.

ITV was made up of separate companies that provided regional television services. Each of these companies owned a different part of the network. After many changes over the years, the fifteen regional parts are now held by two companies: ITV plc, which runs the ITV1 channel, and STV Group, which runs the STV channel.

Today, ITV plc makes the schedule for the whole network. Programmes are created by its own subsidiary ITV Studios and other independent companies. Regional programming still includes news and some current affairs shows.

History

Main article: History of ITV

The story of ITV began with the Television Act 1954, which allowed other stations to join the BBC Television Service. This act created the Independent Television Authority to manage and award broadcast rights. The first ITV station, Associated-Rediffusion, started in London on September 22, 1955, with other areas joining soon after.

Granada Studios was built in 1954 to house the broadcaster Granada Television. Granada Television opened in 1956 and is the only franchisee to remain an ITV contractor since the creation of the network. The Granada studios closed in 2013.

Over the years, ITV changed with many reviews. Some stations changed, and new services were added, like morning TV and a text service. In 1990, new rules let companies buy each other, changing how stations were chosen. By 2004, most of ITV was owned by just two big companies, Carlton and Granada, who later joined to form ITV plc. They also took over stations in the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland.

Organisation (other networks)

The ITV network is made up of many different companies that each help run it. Most of these companies are owned by a bigger company called ITV plc. A special group called Ofcom makes sure everything runs smoothly and gives out the permissions needed to broadcast.

ITV must show important shows like news, children's programmes, and events about politics. In return, people can watch ITV for free on their TVs. ITV also has extra channels like ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and ITV Quiz that you can watch too.

The Leeds Studios, used by ITV Yorkshire. Each ITV region originally had its own studios, however the rise of publisher-broadcasters like Carlton Television and the takeover of regions caused several studios to be closed.

ITV plc

Main article: ITV plc

ITV plc runs most of the ITV network. It shows programmes across England, Wales, southern Scotland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland. It also runs the morning TV shows between 6:00 and 10:00am, like Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.

HQ and studios of STV in Glasgow

STV Group

Main article: STV Group

The STV Group runs ITV in central and northern Scotland. They sometimes choose not to show some of the same programmes as the rest of ITV, but they still work together with ITV plc.

Current licensees

There are fifteen regional licences for ITV, covering fourteen regions, with separate weekday and weekend licences for London. There is also one national licence for the breakfast service. All these licences were renewed until the end of 2024. Before November 2008, licences in England and Wales were held by individual regional ITV plc owned companies.

The appointment to provide national news for ITV is approved by Ofcom. This role has been held by ITN since the channel began, and it will continue until the end of 2024.

Regional ITV licenses
Licence service areaLicence holderLicence held sinceParent companyService nameOn air name
Central ScotlandSTV Central Limited31 August 1957STV Group plcSTV CentralSTV
North of ScotlandSTV North Limited30 September 1961STV North
East of EnglandITV Broadcasting LimitedDecember 2006ITV plcITV AngliaITV1
England–Scotland BorderNovember 2008ITV Border
East, West and South MidlandsITV Central
WalesITV Cymru WalesITV1 Cymru Wales
North West England and Isle of ManITV GranadaITV1
London (weekdays)ITV London (weekdays)
London (weekends)ITV London (weekends)
South and South East EnglandITV Meridian
North East EnglandITV Tyne Tees
South West and West of EnglandITV West Country
Yorkshire and LincolnshireITV Yorkshire
Channel IslandsMarch 2017ITV Channel TVITV1
Northern IrelandFebruary 2016UTVITV1 (UTV)
National ITV license
Licence service areaLicence holderLicence held sinceParent companyService nameOn air name
National breakfast timeITV Breakfast Limited1993ITV plcGood Morning BritainITV1

Programming

See also: List of television programmes broadcast by ITV

For over 60 years, ITV has created many popular and successful TV shows. Before the 1990s, most of these shows were made by different regional companies that were part of ITV.

After the Broadcasting Act 1990, more shows began coming from independent companies. Examples include Talkback Thames, which made The Bill and helped make The X Factor, and 2waytraffic, which made Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

From the late 1990s, ITV started showing fewer serious news and documentary programmes and more entertainment shows. News at Ten was stopped in 1999 but brought back in 2001. By 2009, the long-running arts show The South Bank Show ended.

ITV's main evening shows include the soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale. In the early 2000s, ITV faced criticism for showing many "reality TV" shows like Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Wrestling. Despite this, ITV still does well with sports and drama shows, and it continues to have news programmes in the evening.

Breakfast

Main article: ITV Breakfast

Breakfast TV has been on ITV since February 1, 1983. It was first run by TV-am and later by GMTV. In November 2009, GMTV became part of ITV plc.

ITV now shows two breakfast programmes on weekdays: Good Morning Britain and Lorraine. Good Morning Britain gives news, sports, and weather updates. Lorraine focuses on interviews, recipes, fashion, and entertainment news. Until August 2023, CITV was shown, but now repeats are shown instead.

Daytime programming

ITV's daytime shows like This Morning, Loose Women, Dickinson's Real Deal, and games like Tipping Point and The Chase are very popular and get lots of viewers during the day.

Entertainment

Recently, ITV has been using formats that its own studios create, whether in the UK or abroad. ITV makes formats for shows like Dancing on Ice, The Voice UK, and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! while Walk The Line was developed with Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment.

National and international news

Main article: ITV News

Since ITV began, Independent Television News (ITN) has made news for ITV. There are 30-minute news bulletins at 1:30 pm and 10:00 pm, and a longer one at 6:30 pm. From 1955 to 1999, these were shown under the ITN brand, but now they use the ITV News brand.

ITN is known for reliable news and has won many awards. In May 2011, News at Ten was named the best news programme.

ITV share of viewing 1981–2008 Broadcasters' Audience Research Board figures

Weather

Main article: ITV Weather

ITV's national weather forecast started in 1989, using data from the Met Office. Before that, each region had its own forecast. Now, regional forecasts are part of the local news, and in summer, they include pollen counts.

Late-night programming

After News at Ten, ITV shows new episodes of news and current affairs programmes like Exposure, Peston, and On Assignment. Overnight, ITV shows a shopping service. Between news and shopping, there are repeats of entertainment shows, films, or sports from ITV4.

Overnight, ITV also shows programmes with sign language for people who are deaf. In 2021, Unwind With ITV replaced ITV Nightscreen. This calming programme shows nature scenes and relaxing animations, also seen on ITV2, ITV3, and ITV4.

Sometimes, special events like the Super Bowl or the Oscars are shown overnight.

Regional programming

ITV companies must provide local news and weather as part of their agreement. The main local news is at 6 pm, with other bulletins after national news. Most non-news local shows were stopped in 2009 in England, but they continue in Wales, the Channel Islands, and Scotland. On January 14, 2013, ITV plc changed local news titles to use the ITV News brand, but kept some old names like Calendar, Granada Reports, and Lookaround. On June 28, 2014, ITV News Cymru Wales went back to being called Wales at Six.

Current regional news programmes

  1. Anglia: ITV News Anglia (with East and West variations)
  2. Border: ITV News Lookaround (with a Scotland opt-out)
  3. Central: ITV News Central (with East and West variations)
  4. Channel: ITV News Channel TV
  5. Granada: ITV News Granada Reports
  6. London: ITV News London
  7. Meridian: ITV News Meridian (with South and South East variations)
  8. STV Central: STV News (with East and West variations)
  9. STV North: STV News (with a Dundee opt-out)
  10. Tyne Tees: ITV News Tyne Tees
  11. UTV: UTV Live
  12. Wales: ITV News Wales at Six
  13. West Country: ITV News West Country (with West and South West variations)
  14. Yorkshire: ITV News Calendar (with East and West variations)

Former programmes

Sports

Main article: ITV Sport

Children's programming

Main article: CITV

ITV broadcasts children's shows under the CITV strand. Originally shown on weekday afternoons and weekend mornings, children's shows moved to the CITV channel in 2006, except for weekend breakfast. In 2023, CITV stopped broadcasting as a channel and moved to ITV2 as a morning block.

Schools programming

Main article: ITV Schools

Schools programming began in 1957 and was required for some ITV companies. It moved to Channel 4 in the 1980s and became 4Learning in 2000. The schools strand is now gone, with no special branding.

Acquired programming

ITV used to show many American series, like westerns Gunsmoke and Rawhide, and dramas like The Fugitive and The Twilight Zone. In the 1970s, ITV showed shows like Hawaii Five-O, Happy Days, and The Brady Bunch.

In the 1980s, ITV showed Australian soaps like The Sullivans and The Young Doctors, and American dramas like Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law. By the 1990s, ITV showed more unscripted US shows like Judge Judy and The Jerry Springer Show.

ITV tried American soaps like Savannah and The Practice but had mixed success. By the late 1990s, ITV stopped showing US comedies on the main network. In the 2000s, ITV tried shows like Desperate Housewives and House but they stayed on other channels.

ITV returned to US programming in 2006 with Six Degrees, followed by Pushing Daisies in 2008 and Lethal Weapon in 2017. As of 2024, most US shows air on ITV2.

Notable programming

Main article: List of television programmes broadcast by ITV

Daytime programming

Primetime programming

Weekend programming

Night-time programming

Teletext provider

The Public Teletext Licence allowed broadcasting a text-based service on Channel 3, Channel 4, and S4C. Teletext on ITV was provided by ORACLE from 1974 to 1993 and by Teletext Ltd. from 1993 to 2010. The licence was revoked in 2010 for not meeting requirements, and ITV now has no teletext service.

Availability outside the UK

ITV, known as UTV in some places, can be watched in Ireland, especially in areas close to Northern Ireland or along the coast near Wales as ITV Cymru Wales. Until 2015, it was shown on cable but was later replaced by UTV Ireland, and then by be3, now called Virgin Media Three. Irish viewers can also watch ITV shows on Virgin Media One, including popular soaps like Emmerdale and Coronation Street.

ITV is also available in Switzerland and Liechtenstein through cable and IPTV. Since March 27, 2013, it has been provided by the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) for members of HM Forces and their families worldwide, taking the place of the BFBS3 TV channel that previously showed some ITV programmes.

Criticism

Since ITV started, some people have worried that it might favor popular shows to please advertisers. This pressure grew in the early 2000s when there were more TV channels and looser rules.

During this time, many reality shows and talent contests appeared on ITV. Some felt this made the channel’s content too simple, which did not match its role as a public service broadcaster. ITV also faced criticism for reducing regional news and other local programs.

Awards and nominations

ITV has been recognized and nominated for various awards over the years, reflecting its contributions to television broadcasting. These acknowledgments highlight the network's impact and quality in the industry.

YearAssociationCategoryNominee(s)Result
2017Diversity in Media AwardsBroadcaster of the YearITVNominated

Visual identity

Further information: ITV1 § Branding, and History of ITV television idents

Before 1989, each part of the ITV network used its own name, and the name "ITV" was rarely shown on TV. In September 1989, a national identity for ITV was created, combining regional and national branding. It wasn’t until October 2002 that all regions in England and Wales started using the national ITV brand for their programs. Regional branding continued for local shows until November 2006.

Related articles

Northern Ireland

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on ITV (TV network), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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