Speculation during the past months that ITV is to move its flagship News At Ten programme to another spot has apparently climaxed today.
The move is an attempt to create a more competitive schedule, as presently the evening movie is interrupted by the news, after which many viewers go to bed. ITV proposes to replace the News At Ten with a new 60 Minutes current affairs programme to be shown weekly in the 10pm slot.
The company is expected to approach the Independent Television Commission (ITC) in the next few days for permission to run its main evening news at 6:30pm, a move which is likely to cause much controversy. A spokesperson for the ITC said today that as yet, the Commission has not received an official request for approval from ITV, but is expecting to in the near future. Following this, the ITC will carry out a consultation of the public to assess whether or not to approve the move.
ITN, which makes News At Ten, is reportedly upset by the proposal, which will create a situation where ITV fails to compete with the BBC on news. When approached by Newsline today ITN was unable to comment, but expect to release a statement tomorrow. Meanwhile, opposition to the move is expected, with it being perceived as the demise of a strong British institution.
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