Hytner Is ‘Relieved’ That ITV Did Not Win DTT Licence

ITV executives may secretly be relieved that the Network failed to win the digital terrestrial television licence that was put up for grabs this summer, according to the company’s marketing director, Jim Hytner, (pictured).

Speaking candidly and offering a personal, rather than corporate insight, Hytner told MediaTel Group’s Media Question Time event last night that he had hoped that ITV would not win the licence again, following the demise of the ITV Digital business earlier in the year.

“I was in conflict with Granada and Carlton when the bids went in because people at the Network Centre were privately hoping I’m sure – I certainly was – that we didn’t win the licence again,” he told the media industry audience.

The comments, whilst clearly not the official ITV line, indicate the extent to which the costs and difficulties of managing a television platform have been driven home at ITV, since the high-profile failure of the terrestrial service.

Hytner went on to say that he is ‘thrilled’ that the BBC and BSkyB have won the licence. He argued that even when everything was offered for free, 50% of the population were still not willing to embrace multi-channel television. “I’m glad we’re not in it; we’re channel and content providers. Good luck to the BBC in getting the rest of the 50% in,” he said.

There is ‘not a chance in the world’ that the analogue television signal will be switched off by 2010, Hytner also told the conference. “Fifteen years; £2 billion. Free boxes, free dishes, free lines, free everything. This is about a consumer perception: 50% of the population just haven’t been knocked over by digital. I don’t know why, because it’s fantastic product, but there is not a chance that [analogue] will be switched off by [2010].”

For more coverage and a range of audio clips from the fourth annual Media Question Time event, click here to view the microsite.