The Future of ITN

This may have been covered in other threads, so I apologise in advance, but I've been away for a few days and will have missed it. I also think it justifies a separate thread.

1) Rupert Murdoch's bought a significant share in ITV.

2) The ITV News contract is coming up for renewal in the next 18 months or so.

Therefore...

3) Will the Dirty Digger push for Sky to get the ITV News contract - and if so, are ITN buggered?

Remember Sky nearly got it last time - and it is ITN's biggest contract. Things do not bode well for many at Grays Inn Road.

I repeat - apologies if this has been raised elsewhere.

AFAIK it's only been briefly touched on in other threads. I agree it's a significant issue.

Adrian Monck has written about it in Press Gazette and on his blog:
http://adrianmonck.blogspot.com/2006/11/tv-news-who-gives-ross.html

Monck also half-seriously raises the prospect of Sky providing regional news for ITV in the future.

Television news would just not be the same without ITN being around.......

It is a worry - and hopefully a key reason which will see Sky's investment in ITV blocked! (though considering the act allows them 20% stake, technically they've done nothing wrong!).


It's also not as if ITV have no interest in ITN - they've still got a 40% stake. It's when they sell it you should be really worried!


As I posted in an earlier thread, although TV coverage is still a considerable chunk of their business, ITN have diversified into mobile and broadband services far more than any other provider, and with the rise of On-Demand television, they could corner a niche for themselves there too (they already produce the content - it's just the matter of getting it on to TV).


And as much as I'd like to see the ITN News Channel return, the costs involved make it very unlikely - though I think if they lost the ITV contract it would be something they'd seriously have to consider to maintain their presence in the industry.

purely speculative.... `ITN News` had a satellite broadcasting licence updated with Ofcom on the 21st November this year.

click here for confirmation

Could ITN return to the news channel market. I think there is a window for a headline news service, not a rolling news channel.

I do however think they will have stiff competition from Sky when their ITN contract is due for renewal. Maybe they will move into regional news in other locations outside London?

If they don't get the national service I doubt they'll be considered for the regional service!


Agree there is a gap in the market for a headline news service - and IMO in many ways it was a mistake when they moved away from that when ITV took over the channel.

So often you find both channels offering live coverage of some event your not particularly interested in, or extensive breaking news of what really is a minor story, when all you want is the headlines.

A simple solution would be to offer full "traditional" half-hour bulletins on the hour, every hour, with more flexibility in the second half-hour for extended reports, features and interviews etc.


Anyhow, I would imagine that licence would be more likely linked to potential On-Demand services via NTL:Telewest than any 24 hour news channel.

Couldn't have said it better James. It wouldn't be the same at all without ITN!

Your about 6 and a half years too late there BB, if you watched the tribute programme on the ITV NC when it closed down, that is what Stuart Purvis exactly said, they were taking the idea from CNN Headline News, but the channel failed as it wasn't widely promoted, and probably more obiouvs that by this point both the BBC and Sky had provided rolling News options via the Red Button, which I think is better than having a News channel dedicated to it.

I personally think this is worrying, I don't object for Sky being around, but I think it's bad they've taken a huge interest into ITV. The future of ITN from now is looking even more uncertain, if they can tap into a niché through the Mobile phone and Broadband market then go for it, but without ITV, ITN would be nothing, ITV is the biggest contributor to the company, they are the ones who keep it going.

Although you couldn't see it at that the time, I think the biggest mistake they ever did was to allow ITN to be a seperate company from ITV. At the time it was good business sense, but now it's rather fragmented, with several owners who all have different interests. From a viewers POV and a business one it would be easier for ITN to be part of ITV, so you'd have a National and Regional service with excellent resources.

But going against my own arguement here, having ITN seperate is also good, if it was part of ITV, no doubt Sky would have merged it with part of Sky News to save cost.

I wouldn't have minded if British TV looked like...BBC, Virgin/ITV and Sky, NOT BBC, Sky/ITV and Sky.

Interesting article in the Observer suggesting the OFT may only allow Sky's purchase of ITV shares on the understanding the ITN contract will be maintained. So a glimmer of hope.

So ironically, ITN's position looks stronger than it has for some time now, thanks to Sky's stake in ITV.

There's also the issue that ITV1 can't appoint just anybody to provide the news, it has to be from a selection of "nominated providers" that OFCOM has approved. And it has to be a decision involving all of ITV, not just Granada/Carlton but SMG, UTV and Channel