Tories Call For ITV Consolidation

The Conservative Party is calling on the Government to amend the existing media ownership regulations and pass emergency legislation that will enable the establishment of a single ITV.

The Shadow Media Secretary, Tim Yeo, has said that he plans to publish a bill proposing urgent amendments to the 1990 broadcasting act that will liberalise the “excessively strict” competition laws and clear the way for Carlton and Granada to merge into a single ITV.

Commenting on the proposed bill Yeo said: “I find it astonishing that the Government has so far failed to recognise the need to amend the current competition rules. It is clearly ludicrous that the media is still subject to special competition laws when it is so clearly detrimental to the growth and propriety of the sector.”

He added: “Our bill allows the ITV network to be served by a single company, thus recognising that enough alternative channels now exist and enabling the existing companies to weather the downturn in advertising revenue.”

The Government plans to deal with the issue of ITV’s ownership in its communications white paper next year, but Yeo is submitting his bill to Parliament next week in an attempt to step up pressure to reform the media ownership regulations ahead of schedule.

Sir Robin Biggam, chairman of the ITC, had his recent plea for the creation of a single ITV rejected (see DCMS Dismisses Emergency Legislation Plea) and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell recently said it was neither “practical nor desirable” to deal with the issue ahead of the forthcoming Communications Bill (see White Paper Paves Way For Communications “Revolution”).

DCMS: 020 7211 6200 www.dcms.culture.gov

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