ISBA OPPOSES ITV OWNERSHIP CHANGES

The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers is opposing changes to ITV ownership guidelines, claiming that they would not be in the interest of viewers or advertisers.

Isba has appealed to the Government against any amendments to current restrictions on the percentage of other ITV regions that can be owned by any one ITV contractor. Isba’s view is that a loss in “regionality” would occur if some of the smaller regional franchises were subsumed into the larger ones, resulting in the loss of audiences.

Larger contractors, such as Central, Granada and LWT (who already have shareholdings in other contractors) are pushing for a relaxation in ownership rules and have warned that foreign media interests may step in to take- over smaller contractors if they are not allowed to increase their stakes. ISBA consider this “European Threat” a bogus issue being used cynically to secure change.

Grampian, HTV, Meridian, Westcountry and Anglia, who feel most at risk from takeover, naturally oppose any changes in the rules and are pushing for an independent chairman to be appointed to the ITV council to try and break the influence of the larger contractors. In contrast to ISBA the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has always supported ownership rationalisation for the ITV areas, recommending they be streamlined into six mainland regions plus Ulster.

Peter Brooke, the Heritage Secretary is still considering whether the takeover issue. The ban on overseas takeovers ends in January 1994 and primary legislation will be necessary before then if it is to be restrained.