I've been told by someone i know at one of studios in the north of england that there are hoping that granada plus will get itv branding at the same and there are no concrete plans to men and motors until they sort out a deal with sky
ITV will be marking its 50th anniversary in 2005 with a line up of specially commissioned programmes and nationwide events on and off screen celebrating the network’s history and regional roots.
Full details of programmes commissioned to commemorate the anniversary will be unveiled later this year but on-air celebrations will include a star-studded gala event honouring ITV’s biggest names past and present, a showcase of the nation’s favourite ITV programmes from across the years and a series of regional programmes celebrating the diversity of ITV’s regional companies.
Viewers will be able to see some of the best programmes from ITV's vast library throughout 2004 on ITV 3 - the network’s new channel which launches later this year. Melvyn Bragg will present a landmark five part series entitled The History of ITV on ITV1. 49-Up, the latest instalment in the long-running documentary series that started on ITV in 1964, will also return to ITV in 2005.
A large scale programme of on and off air activities, both regional and national will be overseen by Liam Hamilton who takes on a new role as Events Controller, ITV’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration, reporting to Nigel Pickard, Director of Programmes at ITV and working closely with Charles Allen, Chief Executive of ITV plc.
Nigel Pickard said: “This is an enormous undertaking and we are delighted to have someone with Liam’s experience and professionalism to take it on.
“We want this to be a celebration that everyone across ITV’s nationwide regions can join in with and enjoy. It’s an ambitious and demanding project to which Liam will bring a huge amount of enthusiasm, creativity and skill.”
Liam Hamilton said: “This is a unique opportunity for us to remind the nation of the breadth and depth ITV’s stunning archive of popular programming. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for me to work on such an important, landmark event.”
ITV’s Granada franchise was the first to start broadcasting in 1955. Since then the company has become the most popular commercial channel in Britain, watched by an average of around 45 million people a week. ITV is now made up of a network of 15 different regional licences each with its own set of obligations and conditions designed to reflect the particular character of their region and the interests of their viewers. ITV plc owns twelve of the ITV licences. The remainder are owned by SMG, Ulster, and Channel .
I sent an e-mail a while back to ITV, and got this short reply back earlier on today, around lunchtime:
ITV Duty Officer said... or posted:
You can be assured that this fantastic celebration will not pass without comment.
Yours sincerely
ITV Duty Officer
Hmm, sounds like a celebration is being planned then! Me hopes that the idents (if any are going to be shown) will not be cropped to 16:9, even though I've got a widescreen telly.