Editing ITV (TV network) (section)

==History==
{{main|History of ITV}}
[[File:Granada TV.jpg|thumb|[[Granada Studios]] was built in 1954 to house the broadcaster [[ITV Granada|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.]]
[[File:ITV regional map 1962.svg|right|thumb|The ITV network in 1962, after all regional companies had begun broadcasting]]
The origins of ITV lie in the passing of the [[Television Act 1954]], designed to break the monopoly on television held by the [[BBC One|BBC Television Service]].<ref name="ITV times constitution"/> The act created the [[Independent Television Authority]] (ITA, then IBA after the Sound Broadcasting Act) to heavily regulate the industry and to award franchises. The first six franchises were awarded in 1954 for London, [[The Midlands, England|the Midlands]] and the North of England, with separate franchises for Weekdays and Weekends.<ref name="ITV times constitution"/> The first ITV service to launch was London's [[Associated-Rediffusion]] on 22 September 1955,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/22/newsid_3131000/3131477.stm |title=1955: New TV channel ends BBC monopoly |publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=20 September 2015 |archive-date=7 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132521/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/22/newsid_3131000/3131477.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> with the Midlands and North services launching in February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. Following these launches, the ITA awarded more franchises until the whole country was covered by fourteen regional stations, all launched by 1962.

The network has been modified several times through franchise reviews that have taken place in 1963,<ref name="1963 review">{{cite news |title=No New Independent Tv Companies Appointed |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS168388137&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 |access-date=18 January 2013 |newspaper=The Times |date=9 January 1964}}</ref> 1967,<ref>{{cite news |title=BIG five' pattern for Independent TV |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS18705302&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 |access-date=18 January 2013 |newspaper=The Times |date=22 December 1966}}</ref> 1974,<ref>{{cite news |title=Discussions start on TV contract extensions |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS335903563&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 |access-date=18 January 2013 |newspaper=The Times |date=11 October 1974}}</ref> 1980<ref name="1980 franchise review">{{cite news |last=Gosling |first=Kenneth |title=Breakfast-time television and dual regions for Midlands and the South planned by IBA |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS67339833&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=The Times |date=25 January 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gosling |first=Kenneth |title=Southern and Westward TV lose franchises and others to be restructured |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS17008541&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=The Times |date=29 December 1980}}</ref> and 1991,<ref name="1991 legal threats">{{cite news |last=Wittstock |first=Melinda |title=Legal threats follow biggest ITV shake-up |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=IF501890705&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|access-date=19 January 2013|newspaper=The Times|date=17 October 1991}}</ref> during which broadcast regions have changed and service operators have been replaced. Only one service operator has ever been declared bankrupt, [[Wales West and North Television|WWN]] in 1963,<ref>{{cite news|title=Rescue Operation' For Tv Company|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS269444408&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|access-date=18 January 2013|newspaper=The Times|date=24 September 1963}}</ref> with all other operators leaving the network as a result of a franchise review. Separate weekend franchises were removed in 1968 (with the exception of London)<ref name="1963 review"/> and over the years more services were added; these included a national breakfast franchise from 1983 onward—operating between 6:00 am and 9:25 am—and a teletext service.<ref name="1980 franchise review"/> The [[Broadcasting Act 1990]] changed the nature of ITV; the then regulator the [[Independent Broadcasting Authority|IBA]] was replaced with a light-touch regulator, the [[Independent Television Commission|ITC]]; companies became able to purchase other ITV regional companies<ref>{{cite news |last=Frean |first=Alexandra |title=ITV rule changes herald takeovers |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=IF502007373&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=The Times |date=25 November 1993}}</ref> and franchises were now being awarded based upon a highest-bidder auction, with few safeguards in place.<ref name="1991 legal threats"/> This heavily criticised part of the review saw four operators replaced, and the operators facing different annual payments to [[HM Treasury|the Treasury]]: Central Independent Television, for example, paid only £2,000—despite holding a lucrative and large region—because it was unopposed, while Yorkshire Television paid £37.7&nbsp;million for a region of the same size and status, owing to heavy competition.<ref name="1991 legal threats"/><ref>ITC, quoted in ''Encouraging Bidding In The Single Licence National Lottery Framework'' report, [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|UK National Lottery]] Commission, 19 November 2004</ref>

Following the 1993 changes, ITV as a network began to consolidate with several companies doing so to save money by ceasing the duplication of services present when they were all separate companies. By 2004, the ITV network was owned by five companies, of which two, [[Carlton Communications|Carlton]] and [[Granada plc|Granada]] had become major players by owning between them all the franchises in England, Wales, the Scottish borders and the Isle of Man.<ref name="ITV plc about">{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.itvplc.com/about/history |publisher=ITV plc |access-date=19 January 2013 |archive-date=19 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319194544/http://www.itvplc.com/about/history |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bbc news itv plc merger">{{cite news |last=Madslein |first=Jorn |title=ITV: A third force in broadcasting |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3445627.stm |access-date=19 January 2013 |publisher=BBC News |date=2 February 2004 |archive-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206075611/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3445627.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="guardian itv plc merger">{{cite news |last=Tryhorn |first=Chris |title=Finally, ITV plc is born |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/feb/02/citynews.ITV?INTCMP=SRCH |access-date=19 January 2013 |newspaper=Guardian |date=2 February 2004 |location=London |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204094415/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/feb/02/citynews.ITV?INTCMP=SRCH |url-status=live }}</ref> That same year, the two merged to form ITV plc<ref name="ITV plc about"/><ref name="bbc news itv plc merger"/><ref name="guardian itv plc merger"/> with the only subsequent acquisitions being the takeover of [[ITV Channel Television|Channel Television]], the Channel Islands franchise, in 2011;<ref name="itv plc channel buyout">{{cite news |last=Mark Sweney |first=Tara Conlan |title=ITV plc buys Channel Television |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/oct/18/itv-plc-buys-channel-television |access-date=19 January 2013 |date=18 October 2011 |location=London |work=The Guardian |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714182057/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/oct/18/itv-plc-buys-channel-television |url-status=live }}</ref> and UTV, the franchise for Northern Ireland, in 2015.