Ofcom Cuts ITV’s Regional Programming Obligations

Ofcom is to cut ITV’s obligation to show regional non-news public service programming by 25% from the beginning of 2009.

This move will see the minimum quota for non-news regional programmes for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland slashed from an average of four hours a week to three.

Ofcom’s second PSB review next year will examine longer-term issues in relation to ITV non-news programmes.

Speaking at Wednesday’s MediaGuardian Changing Broadcast summit, ITV executive chairman Michael Grade revealed that ITV1’s schedule is to be relaunched next year following 12 months of planning.

ITV director of television, Simon Shaps, said the focus of the ITV1 relaunch would be on new programming, although there were no plans to dump shows wholesale or change the channel’s branding (see Michael Grade Reveals Major Schedule Relaunch For ITV1).

In September, Grade outlined three to five year content-led plan to restore growth, targeting a doubling of content revenues to around £1.2 billion by 2012(see ITV Outlines Five Year Plan To Grow Business).

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