ITV Accuses Rival Stations Of Causing Price Inflation

In response to complaints from the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) about ITV’s airtime inflation, ITV chief executive Richard Eyre has written to 150 advertisers claiming that rival TV broadcasters are responsible for the rise in TV airtime price.

Eyre is concerned that advertisers are placing too much weight on trading on discounts which are based on ITV’s station average price. This, he says, is causing advertisers to pay too much for time on other stations. Eyre goes on to say that the industry should be concentrating on the size of discount advertisers are being offered against ITV.

Last week ISBA wrote to the same advertisers asking for evidence on the restrictions caused by ITV airtime inflation. It also asked that ITV increase its ad minutage, saying that a refusal to do so would cause airtime inflation to rise even more.

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