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ITV

ITV

:This article is about the British television network. ITV (or iTV) can also mean interactive television, whilst Independent Television may also be used in reference to the i television network in the United States. United States Independent Television (ITV) is the name given to the original network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up to provide competition to the BBC. In England and Wales the channel was recently rebranded ITV1 by ITV plc who own the regional broadcasting licences for the regions. The regional names have been kept by UTV (Northern Ireland), Scottish (Central Scotland), Grampian (Northern Scotland) and Channel TV, (Channel Islands)

History

The early years: 1954–1963

After much debate both in the British Parliament and the British Press, the Television Act became law in 1954. This Act paved the way for the establishment of a commercial television service in the UK, creating the Independent Television Authority (ITA). The ITA's responsibility was to regulate the new service, ensuring that the new service did not follow the same path taken by American television networks (which were perceived as "vulgar" by some people). For example, it was made obligatory that commercials be clearly distinguishable from programmes. The "Independent Television" service, so-called because of its independence from the BBC (which previously had held a monopoly on broadcasting in the UK), was to be made up of regions, with each region run by different companies. The three largest regions (London, the Midlands and the North of England) were subdivided into weekday and weekend services, with a different company running each. Space for commercials, shown during and between programmes was always sold on a region-by-region basis by each ITV company, and not on a nation-wide basis throughout the United Kingdom. The reason for this seemingly overcomplicated arrangement was to fulfil the 1954 Act's requirement for competition within the ITV system (as well as against the BBC) and also to help prevent any individual company obtaining a monopoly on commercial broadcasting. The ITV companies were required by the terms of their licences from the ITA to provide a local television service for their particular region, including a daily local news bulletin and regular local documentaries. However, national news bulletins, covering events in the UK and the rest of the world, were (and still are) produced by Independent Television News (ITN). Until recently, ITN was owned by all the ITV companies. Each company also produced programming that would be shown across the network (although the decision as to when or if to show each programme remained with the individual regions), with the four largest regions (known as the "Big Four"—London Weekday, London Weekend, the North of England and the Midlands) producing the bulk of this output. Each regional service had its own on-screen identity to distinguish it from other regions, since there was often a sizeable overlap between regions. The first ITV contractor to begin broadcasting was the London Weekday contractor Associated-Rediffusion, on 22 September 1955 beginning at 19.15hrs local time. On the first night of telecasts, BBC, who had held the monopoly on broadcasting in Britain, aired a special episode of their popular radio soap opera The Archers on the Home Service. In the episode, core character Grace Archer was killed in a fire, and it was seen as a ploy to keep loyal viewers and listeners away from the new station. The first full day of transmissions was 23 September 1955 when Britain's first female newsreader Barbara Mandell appeared. The London Weekend contractor, ATV London (initially known as "ABC" until the Midlands weekend contractor, Associated British Corporation, complained), began two days later. The other regions all launched later: The ITV regions initially broadcast on 405-line VHF. During the 1960s some commercial companies proposed the introduction of colour on the 405-line system, but the General Post Office insisted that colour should wait until the higher-definition 625-line UHF system became standard. ITV eventually introduced PAL colour on this system from 15 November, 1969, simultaneous with BBC1 and two years after BBC2. This did not, however, spread immediately across the UK; some regions had to wait a few more years before colour was available. Colour was available to nearly 100% of the UK from 1976, with the Channel Islands being the last region to be converted. This enabled the 405-line system to be phased out between 1982 and 1985. In general, usually a few years after their launch, the regional companies made a profit; the largest regions especially so. Roy Thomson, the Canadian founding Chairman of Scottish Television famously described the ownership of an ITV franchise as "a licence to print money". However, this was not the case with Wales (West and North) Television (WWN). Problems with the construction of their transmitter network, as well as strict provisions in their contract to produce a large amount of Welsh-language programming, meant that WWN lost a lot of money. Although WWN did receive some help from other ITV contractors, it was not enough; the company declared itself bankrupt in 1964—the only ITV company to have ever done so. The Teledu Cymru name and studio facilities were taken over by TWW, who continued to broadcast in North and West Wales using that name until 1968.

The first franchise round: 1964

Contracts to run an ITV region are not permanent. Contracts were renewed by the ITA every few years, but it was not guaranteed that the incumbent contractor would win an extension; a new company could take over instead. The ITA's new chairman, former Postmaster General Lord Hill of Luton, undertook a licence review in September 1963 before the legal limit of 10 years for an ITV contract was reached. The purpose of this review was to look at the ITV system in the light of the Pilkington Report into broadcasting in the UK, which had roundly and, it was felt, unfairly, criticised ITV; the review also took into account the promised ITV2 UHF channel, due to be launched if the Conservative Party won the 1964 General Election. The review also had the effect of showing the Authority's teeth in the face of perceived arrogance from the contractors. However, no company lost its position as the local ITV contractor for their region and all licences were extended for another three years (starting July 1964), although several companies took the opportunity to relaunch their on-screen identities and change business names and shareholdings.

The second franchise round: 1968

Unlike the 'roll-over' of contracts in 1963, the 1967 review (for contracts running from the end of July 1968) was to create dramatic changes to the structure of the ITV network. The purpose of this review was to ensure the ITV system was ready for the arrival of colour broadcasting in 1969 and also to again allow for the potential start of ITV2, should the Conservatives win any election held after 1970. Additionally, Lord Hill of Luton had failed to temper the 'arrogance' of the contractors when he made no changes in 1963/4. Indeed, it was felt by many inside the ITA that the arrogance of the companies had grown — especially Rediffusion London, whose department managers also popped up in similar roles for rival applicants, and TWW, who reapplied for their contract under both their own and WWN/Teledu Cymru's name as a tax dodge. Lord Hill had made it clear in 1966 that "all bets were off" on the next franchise round and that the regions themselves would be likely to change. Therefore, in the period between the interviews of each applicant and the announcement of the changes, the newspapers speculated wildly about the likely changes; suggestions were made of Scottish Television exiting the system, Rediffusion moving to replace Southern and various other wild ideas (although it seems clear that Scottish would indeed have exited, had TWW not been the sacrificial company chosen). In the end, the ITA made the following changes to the ITV region map:
- Any split weekday/weekend licences were removed in all regions except London.
- The North of England region was split into North West and Yorkshire regions. There were also changes to the companies running each region:
- Granada, the existing weekday contractor for the North of England region, was given a seven-day licence for the new North West region.
- Lord Thompson of Fleet was required to divest himself of most of his holding in Scottish Television.
- A new company, Yorkshire Television, was given the licence to broadcast in the newly created Yorkshire region.
- ATV won the new seven-day Midlands licence, replacing ABC at the weekend.
- ABC and Rediffusion were asked to merge by the ITA, creating Thames Television. Thames was awarded the London Weekday licence previously held by Rediffusion.
- London Weekend Television was awarded the London Weekend licence, replacing ATV in London.
- Most controversially, TWW lost its franchise for Wales and the West of England to Harlech Television, which became known as HTV on the arrival of UHF. Finally, the local programme guides produced in each region (except the Channel Islands) were abolished and a new company, Independent Television Publications was formed, taking over the London TV Times magazine and producing a national magazine with regional editions. Before the changes were implemented, Harold Wilson made the surprise move of sending Lord Hill to the chairmanship of the BBC Board of Governors and replacing him with Herbert Bowden, the Secretary of State for the Commonwealth Office, who was elevated to the peerage under the title Lord Aylestone. Aylestone reviewed the changes Hill had made, but allowed them to stand. The implementation of the ITV changes led to industrial unrest in the companies. Although there were no job losses in the system — this was an ITA stipulation — people were forced to move from Manchester to Leeds, from London to Cardiff and, perhaps less troublesome, from one part of London to another. Since this meant that staff were being made redundant (albeit with a guaranteed job to go to), the unions required redundancy payments. However, these payments led to problems in staff not receiving them who were changing company (from Rediffusion to Thames, for instance) but not location. The unions asked for payments to also be made in those cases; the companies responded by drawing the line; and wildcat strikes broke out in the week before and the week after the changes came into effect. By the Friday after the changes, a mixture of strike action and management lock-outs had taken ITV off the air and for most of August 1968 the regional network was replaced with an ITV Emergency National Service run by management. By September 1968, and with both sides claiming victory, all workers had returned to work. However, the strike left a legacy of bitterness across the ITV system that would continue to boil up occasionally during the next decade. The transition to colour broadcasting began in November 1969.

The third franchise round: 1974

Much like 1964, and very much unlike 1968, the review of contracts in 1974 produced a 'roll-over' with almost no changes. The IBA (the ITA was given the responsibility of regulating the new commercial "Independent Local Radio" (ILR) stations under the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 and the name changed accordingly to the Independent Broadcasting Authority) took the opportunity of reassigning the Belmont transmitter in Lincolnshire from Anglia to Yorkshire Television, almost doubling the area served by the smallest of the "Big Five" companies. A degree of consolidation was allowed into the system by the IBA, for instance joint advertising sales operations. One of these, Trident Management, which handled sales for Tyne Tees Television and Yorkshire Television, was allowed to perform a reverse takeover on the two companies, creating a new entity, Trident Television. Both YTV and TTT, however, retained their own identities, boards and local management. The teletext service ORACLE was fully launched in 1974—one of the first of its kind (along with the BBC's CEEFAX).

The fourth franchise round: 1982

At the end of the 1980 the IBA reviewed the ITV broadcasting licences again, for contracts beginning on 1 January 1982. As a result, the following changes occurred:
- ATV was considered by the IBA to have not focused on their region enough, and were ordered to change in order to keep their licence. The renamed Central Independent Television took over from ATV on 1 January 1982.
- Southern Television lost their South of England licence, in favour of Television South (TVS).
- Westward Television also lost their licence (for South West England), being replaced by Television South West (TSW).
- The new nation-wide breakfast television service was awarded to TV-am with a provisional start date of May 1983
- Trident Television was ordered to sell the majority of its holdings in Yorkshire and Tyne Tees and the two companies became independent of each other again. November 2, 1982 saw the launch of Channel 4 which somewhat built on the ITV network for its funding.

The Broadcasting Act of 1990

Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party government spent much of the 1980s privatising and deregulating British industry. Commercial broadcasting was no exception. The Broadcasting Act 1990 paved the way for the deregulation of the British commercial broadcasting industry, which was to have many consequences for the ITV system. As a result of this Act, the Independent Broadcasting Authority was abolished, and was replaced by two new "light-touch" regulators: Independent Television Commission (otherwise known as the ITC) and the Radio Authority. The small Cable Authority was also abolished and its powers transferred to the ITC. The main change caused by the Act was to the system of licence allocation; the "beauty contest" where applicants needed to show good programming ideas and fine financial controls was replaced by highest-bidder auctions to determine the winner of each ITV regional franchise. The auction element of the ITV franchising process was very controversial; the press and the existing ITV companies lobbied to have it changed and the ITC agreed to introduce a "quality threshold" to prevent high bidders with poor programme plans from joining the system. ITN, the news provider for ITV, no longer had to be exclusively owned by ITV companies. The legal name of the ITV network was changed to "Channel 3", although the network is still generally referred to as ITV by the general public and the media. Additionally, Channel 4, which had previously been an independent subsidiary of the IBA, was now to become a Government-owned corporation patterned after the BBC. It would also begin to sell its own advertisement space — a function previously provided by each ITV company as a return for subsidising the channel. One further change in the 1990 Act related to the way the ITV networking system was run. Since the 1960s, the Independent Television Companies' Association's Programme Controllors' Committee, representing the "Big 5" network companies (Thames, LWT, Central, Granada, and Yorkshire) had decided which programmes had aired in network programme timeslots. This had the effect of excluding other ITV companies, as well as independent production companies. Following lobbying by independent producers, as well as TVS, the Act required that ITV's scheduling be performed by a nominated person independent of the regional companies,and that a 25% threshold of independent production be required. This led to the creation in 1992 of the ITV Network Centre, a central body in charge of the network schedule, with for the first time, a single ITV Director of Programming. Ahead of the 1990 Act ITV had introduced its first official corporate logo and national on-air identity in September 1989, however it had only been used by less than half the then companies.

The fifth franchise round: 1993

The results of the Channel 3 franchise auction in 1991 for licences beginning 1 January 1993 were:
- Television South West lost the South West England franchise to Westcountry Television.
- Thames Television lost the London Weekday franchise to Carlton Television. However, Thames, although it has lost its broadcasting licence, still produces programmes for ITV, such as The Bill and the successful reality television programme Pop Idol.
- TVS lost the South of England franchise to Meridian Broadcasting.
- TV-am lost the National Breakfast television to Sunrise Television, who changed their name to GMTV before launch due to a dispute with BSkyB over the "Sunrise" name.
- ORACLE lost the National Teletext franchise to Teletext Ltd. All other existing ITV companies retained their regional franchises. Television South West and TVS attempted to obtain a judicial review of the ITC's decisions and of the wording of the 1990 Act. Accordingly, the ITC held off awarding the contract to Westcountry until the review was completed. As the contract with Meridian had already been agreed, the court felt unable to conduct a review of that decision. The review of the south-west franchise process took several months but was decided in favour of the ITC (and therefore against TSW).

Consolidation since 1993

The relaxation in the franchise ownership rules as a result of the 1990 Act meant that mergers between ITV companies were now possible (even more after the Broadcasting Act 1996, which relaxed the rules even further). This was quickly taken advantage of by the larger companies—Carlton Communications, Granada and (to a lesser extent) Scottish Television:
- 1993:
- Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees re-merged, creating Yorkshire–Tyne Tees Television plc.
- 1994:
- Carlton Television buys Central Independent Television.
- MAI (later United News and Media—UNM) buys Anglia Television.
- Granada takeover of LWT takes place.
- 1996:
- Carlton buys Westcountry Television.
- United News and Media purchases HTV.
- 1997:
- Granada acquisition of Yorkshire–Tyne Tees Television plc.
- Scottish Media Group (SMG) acquires Grampian Television.
- 1999:
- Carlton drop the Central & Westcountry names from their on-air presentation.
- 2000:
- Granada acquires Anglia, Meridian and HTV from UNM; Granada then sells HTV to Carlton to comply with the then-current regulatory requirements.
- 2001;
- Granada acquires Border from Capital Radio Group who bought it in 2000 to obtain the portfolio of radio stations then owned by Border. In 1998 the Independent Television Association and Network Centre formally merged, becoming "ITV Network Limited". A new lower-case ITV network logo was introduced at the same time. Carlton and Granada attempted to merge twice in the 1990s, creating a new company that would own all the Channel 3 licences in England and Wales (and the English-Scottish Border). In October 2003, the Government announced that it would no longer prevent a merger from taking place, subject to safeguards being set in place to ensure the continued independence of the Scottish Media Group, UTV and Channel Television. The merger of the two companies finally took place at the end of January 2004, and the new company—named ITV plc—started trading on 2 February, with former Carlton shareholders owning 32% and Granada shareholders owning 68% of the new shares in the company. The choice of the name "ITV plc" was controversial, since it could imply that the company runs the entire network, and an agreement had to be reached with SMG, UTV and Channel before the name could be used. Granada and Carlton have also been criticised in the past for using the ITV name to brand their failed pay television service, ITV Digital, and the ITV Sports Channel.

Adapting to multi channel television

Although still the major force in UK commercial television, ITV's share of the TV viewing audience has been falling for years, particularly since the start of competition by satellite television and cable, and more recently Digital Terrestrial Television. As a result, the ITV companies have tried to adapt by launching several extra channels. Digital Terrestrial Television ITV plc has launched several channels using the "ITV" brand: ITV2 launched in 1998 carrying a mix of imported and homemade programming, ITV News Channel launched by ITN but later owned by ITV plc, ITV3 launched in 2003 showing "classic" programming and ITV4 launched in 2004 targeting a "male" audience. A children's channel is reported to launch in 2006. Sudsidaries of ITV plc also include the Men & Motors channel, a broadband television trial called "ITV Local" and stakes in GMTV, ITN and Irish broadcaster TV3. UTV has launched several radio channels (UTV Radio) and SMG plc have bought Virgin Radio, for example. Both SMG and UTV launched their own versions of ITV2, called S2 an UTV2, but those channels were closed in 2001 and 2002. In recognition of the fact that there was an ITV2, the ITV network (in the Carlton and Granada owned areas) was rebranded ITV1 in 2001. From October 2002 regional branding in these regions (and Channel Television) was dropped altogether, except before regional programming, with all ITV plc regions now being controlled from a reduced number of transmission centres. This has led to a number of job cuts and scaled-back operations at regional centres, with some studios being sold off altogether. In view of the national audiences they serve, Scottish, Grampian and UTV have all decided not to adopt the ITV1 brand, and still use their own individual identities at all times. In June 2005, Ofcom, the channel's regulator since the demise of the Independent Television Commission announced huge reductions in the licence fees payable by the Channel 3 contractors (and Five). This move reflects the significant shift towards digital viewing in the UK, and the British government's desire to switch off analogue television signals altogether by 2012. Licence fees will fall further as the shift to digital continues. Ofcom has also significantly relaxed most of the remaining public service requirements on the ITV contractors; regional non-news output has been a significant casualty of these cutbacks, with most regions now broadcasting no more than two weekly hours in this category. Following digital switchover, it remains unclear whether Ofcom or the British government will be able to insist that ITV maintains any public service commitments. In September 2005, the ITV network celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a season of "ITV50" programming was run on the network, including a run down of ITV's 50 top programmes, a World of Sport retrospective, and the launch of an "Avenue of the Stars". The regional companies owned by ITV plc also aired special regional retrospectives (even though none of them were themselves fifty years old), as well as using special "ITV50" station identification. While Scottish Television, Grampian Television, and UTV aired the network ITV50 programming, they did not themselves air regional ITV50 programmes, nor did they use the special identification. ITN is also celebrating its fiftieth anniversary with special features in its programming.

Accusations of Dumbing-down

It is believed by some people that ITV has started "dumbing down" in recent years. They argue that serious documentary and current affairs programmes are seldom to be seen in prime time, whilst the amount of reality television programmes and soap operas has increased (although this may be something attributed to British television in general, since the BBC has been accused of the same things). In its defence, ITV does continue to show its major strengths in the fields of sports coverage and drama productions, and the production of "high-brow" programming such as The South Bank Show has continued. One of the most controversial changes was the scrapping of the flagship late evening news programme, News at Ten in 1999, replacing it with a later, irregular scheduled and shorter news bulletin. ITV argued that the move was to enable them to have diversity and flexibility to the evening schedule, showing more documentaries and feature length films without a news break. However the move was (temporarily) reversed in 2001, after much criticism. Three years later however, on 2 February 2004, ITV again axed News at Ten, opting for a 10:30pm bulletin instead. Critics of the network have also pointed to the reduction in commitment to regional programming and presentation.

Programmes

There are some programmes produced by ITV companies (past and present) that are well-known, usually in the UK, but often world-wide. These include:
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Produced 1984–1994 by Granada Television)
- Agatha Christie's Poirot (Shown since 1989 and produced by LWT)
- Armchair Theatre (Produced from 1956–1968 by ABC, and intermittently during the 1970s by Thames Television)
- The Avengers (Produced 1961–1969 by ABC)
- The Benny Hill Show (Produced 1969–1989 by Thames Television)
- The Bill (Shown since 1984 in the UK, produced by Thames Television)
- Brideshead Revisited (Produced 1981 by Granada Television)
- Cadfael (Produced 1994–1998 by Central/Carlton Television)
- Callan (Produced 1967–1972 by ABC, and later Thames Television)
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (Produced 1967–1968 by Century 21 Productions/ITC)
- Coronation Street (Shown since 1960 in the UK, produced by Granada Television)
- Cracker (Produced 1993-1996 by Granada Television)
- Emmerdale (Shown since 1972 in the UK, produced by Yorkshire Television)
- Hornblower (Produced 1998–2002 by United Film and Television Productions for Meridian)
- Inspector Morse (Produced 1987–2000 by Zenith Productions for Central)
- The Jewel in the Crown (Produced in 1983 by Granada Television)
- Minder (Produced 1979–1994, by Thames Television)
- Mr. Bean (Produced 1990–1995, by Tiger Aspect Productions for Thames Television)
- The Naked Civil Servant (Produced 1974 by Thames Television)
- Pop Idol (Two series; produced in 2001–2002 and 2003 by Thames Television and 19 Management)
- The Prisoner (Produced in 1967 by Everyman Films with ITC and ATV)
- Rising Damp (Produced 1974–1978 by Yorkshire Television)
- The Saint (Produced 1962–1969 by ITC)
- Sharpe (Produced 1993–1997 by Central/Carlton Television)
- 3-2-1 (Produced 1978–1987 by Yorkshire Television)
- The South Bank Show (Shown since 1978 in the UK, produced by LWT)
- Spitting Image (Produced 1984–1996 for Central Television)
- Survival (a long-running wildlife documentary series produced by Anglia Television from 1961)
- The Sweeney (Produced 1975 by Euston Films for Thames Television)
- Thunderbirds (produced 1965–1966 by ATV/AP Films/ITC)
- Upstairs, Downstairs (Produced 1971 by LWT)
- Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Shown since 1998 in the UK, produced by Celador Productions)
- The World at War (Originally shown 1973–1974, produced by Thames Television)
- World in Action (Produced 1963–1998 by Granada Television)
- Wycliffe (Produced 1993–1998 by HTV/Red Rooster Film & Television Entertainment) In the last decade, the number of productions by 'independent' production companies (that is, companies that are independent of the ITV network) has increased. Notable examples include Thames Television (itself a former ITV contractor) and Celador, producers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

ITV companies: past and present

Former ITV contractors

- Associated British Corporation (ABC Television): North and Midlands weekend franchise (1956–1968)
- Associated-Rediffusion: London weekday franchise (1955–1968)
- Associated Television Network Limited (ATV): Midlands weekday franchise and London weekend franchise (1956–1968); Midlands (7 day) (1968–1981)
- Southern Television: South and South East England franchise (1958–1981)
- Thames Television: London weekday franchise (1968–1992)
- TSW SW England franchise (1982–1992)
- TVS: South and South East England franchise (1982–1992)
- TWW: Wales and West of England franchise (1958–1968). See also ITSWW (March–May 1968)
- Westward Television: SW England franchise (1961–1981)
- WWN: North and West Wales franchise (1962–1964)
- TV-am: National Breakfast Television franchise (1983–1992)
- ORACLE: National Teletext franchise (1977–1992)

Current ITV franchise holders

- Owned by ITV plc:
- Anglia Television: East of England franchise (1959–)
- Border Television: English — Scottish border and Isle of Man franchise (1961–)
- Carlton: London weekday franchise (1993–)
- Central Independent Television: Midlands franchise (1982–)
- Granada Television: North of England weekday franchise (1956–1968); NW England franchise (1968–)
- HTV (originally "Harlech"): Wales and West of England franchise (1968–)
- London Weekend Television (LWT): London Weekend franchise (1968–)
- Meridian Broadcasting: South and south-east England franchise (1993–)
- Tyne Tees Television: North-east England franchise (1958–)
- Westcountry Television SW England franchise (1993–)
- Yorkshire Television: Yorkshire/Lincolnshire franchise (1968–)
- Owned by Scottish Media Group:
- Grampian Television: North-east Scotland franchise (1961–)
- Scottish Television: Central Scotland franchise (1957–)
- Other regional franchises:
- Channel Television: Channel Islands franchise (1962–)
- Ulster Television (UTV): Northern Ireland franchise (1959–)
- National franchises:
- GMTV: National Breakfast franchise (1993–)
- Teletext Ltd: National Teletext franchise (1993–)

External links

The ITV companies

- [http://www.itv.com/ ITV.com] — Homepage of the ITV Network
- [http://www.itvplc.com/ ITV Plc] Homepage of ITV PLC (formally Carlton & Granada)
- [http://www.itvlocal.tv ITV Local] - entry point for ITV Local
- [http://www.channeltv.co.uk/ Channel Television Ltd]
- [http://www.smg.plc.uk/ SMG plc], [http://www.scottishtv.co.uk/ Scottish TV], [http://www.grampiantv.co.uk/ Grampian TV]
- [http://www.utvplc.com/ UTV plc], Channel Homepage [http://u.tv/ UTV]

Unofficial sites about ITV

- [http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/ TV Ark - The Television Museum] — a history of British television, with large amounts on ITV
- [http://www.transdiffusion.org/ Transdiffusion Broadcasting System] — a British communications history website
- [http://www.itw.org.uk/ Independent TeleWeb] — a history of ITV
- [http://www.htw.info/ The Historical Television Website] — focusing on television in Southern England
- [http://www.hhg.org.uk/ Harlech House of Graphics] — a site about ITV in Wales and the West of England
- [http://www.ttlp.org.uk/ Tyne Tees Logo Page] — about the North East England broadcaster
- [http://www.thetvroom.com/ The TV Room] — British and Irish television presentation Category:ITV ja:ITV (イギリス)

Interactive television

Interactive television describes any number of efforts to allow viewers to interact with television content as they view. It is sometimes called interactive TV, iTV, idTV or ITV (not to be confused with the British Independent Television network). To be truly Interactive, the viewer must be able to alter the viewing experience (eg choose which angle to watch a football match), or return information to the broadcaster. This "return path" or "back channel" can be by telephone, mobile SMS (text messages), or cable. Cable viewers receive their programs via a cable, and in the integrated cable return path enabled platforms, they use the same cable as a return path. Satellite viewers (mostly) return information to the broadcaster via their regular telephone lines. They are charged for this service on their regular telephone bill. Interactive TV can also be delivered via a terrestrial aerial (digital terrestrial TV such as 'Freeview' in the UK). In this case, there is often no 'return path' as such - so data cannot be sent back to the broadcaster (so you could not, for instance, vote on a TV show, or order a product sample) . However, interactivity is still possible as there is still the opportunity to interact with an application which is broadcast and downloaded to the set-top box (so you could still choose camera angles, play games etc). Interactive TV is often described as "lean back" interaction, as users are typically relaxing in the living room environment with a remote control in one hand. This is in contrast to the personal computer-oriented "lean forward" experience of a keyboard, mouse and monitor. Interactivity is supplied by the manipulation of the API of the particular software installed on a set-top box, referred to as 'middleware' due to its intermediary position in the operating environment. Software programs are broadcast to the set-top box in a 'carousel'. On UK DTT (Freeview), in MHP systems and for OCAP, this is a DSM-CC Object Carousel. The set-top box can then load and execute the application. In the UK this is typically done by a viewer pressing a 'trigger' button on their remote control (e.g. the red button, as in 'press red'). Typically the distribution system is based on the MPEG-2 specification.
- Examples of commonly-found middlewares include:
- OpenTV (ANSI C) - BSkyB (used by Open.../Sky Active)
- WapTV (WTVML) - BSkyB (WapTV is an abstraction layer that sits on top of the OpenTV Middleware)
- Mediahighway (MHEG-5, Pantalk) - UK terrestrial, Canal+
- Liberate (HTML/JavaScript) - NTL, Telewest
- ICTV (HTML/JavaScript) - NTL, VNL
- MHEG-5 (used in UK DTT)
- DVB-MHP (Java/HTML)
- Alcatel Open Media Suite - Sasktel, BBTV, Kingston
- Microsoft TV (XHTML) Development of applications using these technologies is traditionally drawn out due to the limitations of the set-top box, the large amount of testing required and the lack of standardisation of deployed units. Almost all are proprietary and subject to heavy licensing restrictions. Some interactive television projects are consumer electronics boxes which provide set-top interactivity, while other projects are supplied by the cable television companies (or multiple system operator, or MSO) as a system-wide solution. Some examples of interactive television include:
- MSO systems
- Time Warner (US)
- Comcast (US)
- Cablevision (US)
- MSO trials or demos
- Full Service Network from Time Warner (US)
- Consumer electronics solutions
- TiVo
- ReplayTV
- UltimateTV
- Microsoft Windows XP Media Center

External links

- [http://www.itvt.com Tracy Swedlow's InteractiveTV Today], also known as [itvt]
- [http://informitv.com informitv] Latest interactive television news
- [http://iptv-news.com iptv news] leading IPTV newletter
- [http://enhanced-television.com Enhanced TV Show]
- [http://iptv-forum.com IPTV World Forum] Europe's leading IPTV event
- [http://www.etvcookbook.org The Enhanced Television Cookbook: PBS's (US Public Television) Interactive Television How to]
- [http://www.opentv.com OpenTV Inc.]
- [http://www.waptv.com BSkyB for WapTV]
- [http://mediahighway.nds.com MediaHighway]
- [http://www.mheg.org MHEG ISO standard]
- [http://www.liberate.com Liberate Inc.]
- [http://www.mhp.org DVB-MHP standard]
- [http://www.alcatel.com/solutions/solution_desc.jhtml?solution=solselsolution126 Alcatel Open Media Suite]
- [http://www.microsoft.com/tv Microsoft TV]
- [http://www.dtvjobs.co.uk/wikipedia Jobs in UK Digital Television]
- [http://uitv.info Understanding Interactive Television (UITV.INFO): Interactive TV Research Resources]
- [http://www.my-interactive.tv My Interactive TV - A multipath interactive fiction experiment]
- Interactive TV Authoring software
- [http://www.emusetechnologies.com Emuse]
- [http://www.emusetechnologies.com TwoWayTV]
- [http://www.jame.tv/ Jame]
- [http://www.ensequence.com/ Ensequence]
- [http://www.nds.com/ NDS]
- [http://www.ortikon.com Ortikon Interactive]
-

I (TV network)

i: Independent Television, or simply i, is a broadcast and cable television network first broadcast on August 31, 1998 under the name Pax TV. The network is primarily owned by Paxson Communications, although NBC Universal also has a 32% share. Programming is family-oriented and contains little or no sex, overt violence, or strong language. The network changed its name at the beginning of July 2005. Despite having a similar name, it does not have any connection with Britain's ITV. Unlike most TV networks in the United States such as ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC, i has a national feed that is part of basic DBS packages as well as having its affiliates carried by cable TV systems. i programming consists of some original programming mixed with reruns of various TV shows and movies and some Christian-oriented programming. It was estimated in 2003 that Pax was viewable by 74.25% of all households, reaching 79,185,730 houses in the United States. The network has 94 VHF- and UHF-owned-and-operated or affiliate stations in the U.S., although these stations are mainly poorly watched UHF stations, and not all of the stations air i's complete nightly transmission. Some local i stations rebroadcast that market's NBC affiliate's newscasts at a later time. i is not considered by many to be a on par with the six existing major national broadcast networks. It has no over-the-air stations in several major markets, most notably Charlotte, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. St. Louis receives i only by way of a low-power repeater of the i station in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Typically, i television shows average only 1% of the viewing audience, which is considerably lower than any other (major) broadcast network. To compare, the "big 3" networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) frequently garner 15–25% of viewers. In 2003 Pax scaled back its operations, presumably due to financial losses: it was originally offering five or six new series each season. That year the number of new series airing on Pax dwindled to just two: Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (now pulled due to non-renewal) and Doc. The netlet seemingly recovered a year later when seven TV series made it to Pax's 2004–05 schedule. In the spring of 2005, it was reported that Pax intended to break its contract with NBC Universal, eliminate all entertainment programming, and rely on infomercials, direct response advertising, and other paid programming to help increase cash flow. However, the network issued a press release on May 25, 2005, in which Paxson Communications chairman Lowell "Bud" Paxson was quoted as saying, "There have been several reports in the press that the Company is dropping or reducing entertainment programming. Those reports are totally incorrect. The Company will continue to offer the same or an increased amount of entertainment programming than it has in the past." [http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20050525005744&ndmHsc=v2
- A1085914800000
- B1117523853000
- DgroupByDate
- J2
- M740
- N1001503&newsLang=en&beanID=1963892417&viewID=news_view] On June 28, 2005, Paxson announced it would rebrand Pax as i, to reflect a new strategy of "providing an independent broadcast platform for producers and syndicators who desire to reach a national audience." After the transition is complete, Paxson, which is currently digital multicasting on 45 of its 60 stations, will continue to air programming under its Pax TV brand on one of its digital channels over the air and in select cable homes. Some media observers have jocularly postulated that that "i" is code for "infomercial." In November 2005, NBC Universal bought a controlling stake in i's current parent, Paxson Communications. If this stake is taken to the maximum, NBC would acquire approximately 63 stations currently airing i Television, including KPPX, WCPX, WWPX and WPXW, and other stations. During the transition period, the Pax and i logos were both placed on-screen: the former in the bottom-left corner, and the latter in the bottom-right corner. With this rebranding also comes the following changes to the programming lineup:
- i has dropped programming from Worship, which has been airing late nights on the network since its launch in August of 1998. The time period previously for Worship's programming is now leased to infomercials.
- In many markets starting in the fall of 2002, i had aired editions of local newscasts from local NBC affiliate stations. This has been discontinued from some i station lineups, mainly occurring on June 30, 2005.
- In addition, "Tomorrow's Weather Tonight", a five-minute segment featuring current weather and forecasts from WeatherVision which has aired on the channel since 2000, has also been dropped.

External links

- [http://www.ionline.tv Official i site] Category:i television network

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national public service broadcaster of the United Kingdom (see British television). It produces programmes and information services, broadcasting on television, radio, and the Internet. It is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world. The BBC's main domestic services on television include BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, the news channel BBC News 24, and the children's channels CBBC and CBeebies. BBC One and BBC Two are available via conventional analogue transmission — the remainder can be viewed only by those with digital reception equipment. The BBC also operates the UK's only dedicated politics channel, BBC Parliament, covering events in the British Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and European Parliament, as well as highlights of overseas legislatures such as the US Congress. National radio services include Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, and Radio 4, and BBC Radio Five Live. Digital radio services include 1Xtra, BBC 6 Music, BBC 7, BBC Five Live Sports Extra, and the BBC Asian Network. There is also a huge catalogue of BBC Local Radio stations (such as BBC Hereford and Worcester), Open Centres, BBC Buses, and BBC Big Screens. In addition the BBC operates the BBC World Service on radio, funded by and operated in cooperation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The BBC's commercial operations are run by BBC Worldwide. These include its international television services which are funded commercially and include the international news channel BBC World, as well as entertainment channels BBC Prime, BBC America, BBC Canada and BBC Japan. There is also a Canadian children's channel BBC Kids. BBC Worldwide also co-runs, with Flextech, the UKTV network of stations in the UK, producers of amongst others UKTV Gold. In Australia and New Zealand, BBC Worldwide runs the UK.TV network jointly with Foxtel and Fremantle Media. The BBC produces a large body of programming for domestic and worldwide broadcast. Many programmes (especially documentaries) are sold to foreign television stations, and comedy, documentaries and historical drama productions are popular on the international DVD market. It is an autonomous corporation run by a board of governors appointed by the government for a term of four years (formerly five years). This is soon to be changed to a BBC trust. Management of the organisation is in the hands of a Director-General appointed by the governors. Its domestic programming and broadcasts are funded by levying television licence fees upon the owners of television sets.

History

television licence broadcast]] The British Broadcasting Company was founded in 1922 by various private firms, to broadcast experimental radio services. The first transmission was on 14 November. The BBC, with John Reith as general manager, took on its current form in 1927 when it was granted a Royal Charter of incorporation. It started experimental television broadcasting in 1932, becoming a regular service (known as the BBC Television Service) in 1936. Television broadcasting was suspended from September 1, 1939 to June 7, 1946 during the Second World War. Competition to the BBC was introduced for the first time in 1955 with the commercially and independently operated ITV. The BBC introduced a second TV channel, (BBC 2), in 1964, renaming the existing channel BBC 1. BBC 2 was broadcast in colour from July 1, 1967, and was joined by BBC 1 and ITV on November 15, 1969. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. The BBC Research Department has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. In the early days it carried out essential research into acoustics, programme level measurement, and noise measurement and established standards that rapidly spread, particularly throughout the British Empire. In this respect it filled a role that is now lacking in many areas, since it was motivated by the desire for quality, not profit.

The Corporation

Funding

The principal means of funding the BBC is through the television licence. Such a licence is required to operate a broadcast television receiver within the UK. The television licence is set by the government and enforced by the criminal law but is collected privately and does not pass through the state before reaching the BBC, and hence it is inaccurate to refer to the BBC as a "state" broadcaster. A similar licence used to exist for radios, but was abolished in 1971. These licences were originally issued by the British General Post Office (GPO), which was then the regulator of public communications within the UK. For a more detailed historical explanation see British Broadcasting Company. In the case of the elderly (over 75), TV licences are funded by the government. Subsidised TV licences are available for the blind and the residents of residential care homes. Licence fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (a Cabinet Minister). Collecting them has been the responsibility of [http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/ TV Licensing] (an autonomous arm of the BBC) since 1990, but much of the collection work is subcontracted to the independent companies Capita and AMV. The television licence is often the subject of controversy; a number of people — including the Sunday Times journalist Jonathan Miller — argue that the licence is a regressive tax, in that the very poorest are those least likely to have a licence, and least able to pay the fine for not having a licence. However, supporters of the licence fee claim that it helps maintain a higher quality of programming on the BBC compared to its commercial rivals. Some also claim that it also leads to better programmes on the commercial channels as they seek to draw viewers/listeners away from the BBC's output. Because government regulation controls its funding, the BBC is able to provide domestic public service broadcasting to educate, inform and entertain, free of commercial advertising. However, the BBC does engage in commercial advertising in its publications and some broadcasting activities. In theory the BBC is answerable only to the licence payer. World Service external broadcasting is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The BBC has the largest budget of any UK broadcaster. Income from commercial enterprises and from overseas sales of its catalogue of programmes has substantially increased over recent years. Its annual budget is approximately £3.7 billion.

Revenue sources

The [http://www.bbcgovernors.co.uk/annreport/report05_keysections_dl.html#section6 2005 Annual report] gave revenue sources in millions of:
- £2,940.3m licence fees collected from consumers.
- £624.3m from BBC Commercial Businesses.
- £247.2m from the World Service, of which £225.1m is from grants (primarily funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), £16.7m from subscriptions, and £5.4m from other sources.
- £23.5m from other income, such as providing content to overseas broadcasters and concert ticket sales. In total, the BBC's group income is estimated at £3835.3m for 2005.

Licence fee expenditure

The BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4309325.stm gives] the following figures for expenditure of licence fee income:
- 50% - BBC One and BBC Two
- 15% - local TV and radio
- 12% - network radio
- 10% - digital (BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, CBBC, CBeebies)
- 10% - transmission costs and licence fee collection
- 3% - BBC Online, Ceefax, and Interactive Content (including bbc.co.uk and BBCi)

Management

The BBC is a nominally autonomous corporation, independent from direct government intervention. It is run by an appointed Board of Governors. General management of the organisation is in the hands of a Director-General appointed by the governors. The governors at 19 January 2005 are:
- Michael Grade (Chairman)
- Anthony Salz (Vice Chairman)
- Professor Ranjit Sondhi (National Governor for the English regions)
- Professor Fabian Monds (National Governor for Northern Ireland)
- Professor Merfyn Jones (National Governor for Wales)
- Jeremy Peat (National Governor for Scotland)
- Deborah Bull
- Dame Ruth Deech
- Dermot Gleeson
- Angela Sarkis
- Richard Tait, appointed for a four-year term on 1 August 2004. The current Director-General is Mark Thompson. On his first day in the role he announced a shake-up of senior management, including the replacement of the Executive Committee, formed by directors of divisions within the BBC, with a streamlined nine-member Executive Board currently consisting of:
- Mark Thompson (Director-General)
- Mark Byford (Deputy Director-General)
- John Smith (Chief Operating Officer)
- Zarin Patel (Group Finance Director)
- Caroline Thomson (Strategy)
- Stephen Dando (BBC People)
- Tim Davie (Marketing, Communications & Audiences)
- Jana Bennett (Television)
- Jenny Abramsky (Radio and Music)
- Ashley Highfield (New Media and Technology)

Current review of Royal Charter

The BBC's Royal Charter is currently under review. Although the Charter is widely expected to be renewed in 2006, some proposals have suggested dramatic changes. On 2 March 2005 the Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell published a green paper setting out her proposals for the future of the BBC. The main points of this are:
- Maintenance of the licence fee system until at least 2016
- Abolition of the BBC Governors, to be replaced by a "BBC Trust"
- Increasing outsourcing of production (a process already started by Mark Thompson)
- Reduced emphasis on "ratings for ratings' sake" and copycat programmes (such as reality television).

Political and commercial independence

The BBC motto is Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation and many have claimed that it is the most respected broadcaster in the world. The BBC is, in theory, free from both political and commercial influence and answers only to its viewers and listeners. However, the BBC is regularly accused by the government of the day of bias in favour of the opposition and, by the opposition, of bias in favour of the government. This gave rise to the satirical name "Buggers Broadcasting Communism". Similarly, during times of war, the BBC is often accused by the UK government, or by strong supporters of British military campaigns, of being overly sympathetic to the view of the enemy. This gave rise, during the first Gulf War, to the satirical name "Baghdad Broadcasting Corporation". Conversely, some of those who style themselves anti-establishment in the United Kingdom or who oppose foreign wars have accused the BBC of pro-etablishment bias or of refusing to give an outlet to "anti-war" voices. Some have argued that a current of anti-BBC thinking exists in many parts of the political spectrum and that, since the BBC's theoretical impartiality means they will broadcast many views and opinions, people will see the bias they wish to see. Quite often domestic audiences have affectionately referred to the BBC as the Beeb, or as Auntie; the latter originated because of the somewhat fuddy duddy [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/10_october/21/hull.shtml Auntie knows best] attitude which goes back to the early days when John Reith was in charge. Political influence may manifest itself via appointments to its Board of Governors and by threats to change the level of the licence fee. Commercial competition has influenced BBC programming on both radio and television throughout its history. Despite these criticisms, many still regard the BBC as a trusted and politically neutral news source across the globe, and in some areas the BBC World Service radio is the only available free press.

Location

Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London is the official headquarters of the BBC. It is home to the national radio networks Radio 2, 3, 4, 6 Music, and BBC 7. On the front of the building are statues of Prospero and Ariel (from Shakespeare's The Tempest), by Eric Gill. Broadcasting House is currently undergoing renovation, scheduled for completion in 2010. As part of a major reorganisation of BBC property, Broadcasting House is to become home to BBC News (both television and radio), national radio, and the BBC World Service. The major part of this plan involves the demolition of the two post-war extensions to the building and construction of a new building, to be of equal "architectural creativity", beside the existing structure. While the rebuilding process is being undertaken many of the BBC Radio networks have been relocated to other buildings in the vicinity of Portland Place. The whole project is expected to be completed by 2010. In 2007/2008 BBC News is expected to relocate from the News Centre at BBC Television Centre to what's being described as "one of the world's largest live newsrooms". As well as the various BBC buildings in London, there are major BBC production centres located in Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Southampton and Newcastle upon Tyne. There are also many smaller local and regional studios scattered throughout the UK, some of which are known locally as "Broadcasting House" in imitation of the BBC's London headquarters.

BBC Services

Newcastle upon Tyne Among its many services are domestic radio and television stations. The BBC also jointly operates a number of other broadcasting services, namely the UKTV channels, some of the Discovery channels, and several other services available on satellite & cable services in the UK. It also has many non-broadcasting commercial ventures within the United Kingdom including book & magazine publishing (BBC Books), and multimedia production services (DVDs, CDs, computer games) provided by BBC Multimedia. The BBC has both satellite and cable broadcasting joint-ventures serving the United States, Canada, and other countries. In addition the BBC operates a number of radio and television world services in cooperation with funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, one of which includes a recently set up TV news station in the Middle East in the Arabic language. Before the introduction of Independent Television in 1955 and subsequently Independent Radio in 1973, it held a monopoly on broadcasting. More recent de-regulation of the British television broadcasting market produced analogue cable television and satellite broadcasting and later digital satellite, digital cable and digital terrestrial television (DTT). Today the BBC broadcasts in almost all media and operates an award-winning Internet service, bbc.co.uk, itself indicative of the corporation's continued ability to move with the times.

BBC Departments

- Governances & Accountability
- Programming Groups
- News
- Drama Entertainment & CBBC
- Factual & Learning
- Sport
- Broadcasting Groups
- World Service
- TV
- New Media & Technology
- Radio & Music
- Nations & Regions
- Professional Services
- Strategy (formerly Strategy and Distribution and merged with Policy and Legal)
- Marketing & Comms
- Finance Property & Business Affairs
- BBC People (to 2004, Human Resources & Internal Communications)
- Commercial Groups
- BBC Resources Ltd
- BBC Worldwide Ltd

BBC News

BBC News is the largest broadcast news gathering operation in the world and it produces almost 160 hours of news output every hour. BBC News provides its services to BBC domestic radio as well as television networks such as; BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, BBC World, as well as BBCi, Ceefax and BBC News Online. New BBC News services that are also proving popular are mobile services to mobile phones and PDAs. Desktop news alerts, e-mail alerts, and digital TV alerts are also available. The BBC News Centre maintains its headquarters within the BBC Television Centre. It also operates regional news offices throughout the UK and bureaux in almost every country around the world. Coverage of political events is controlled from the Millbank Studios in Westminster. On 5 July 2004 the BBC celebrated 50 years of television news. Its first bulletin was telecast in 1954. The BBC had carried news programmes prior to this, but in the form of newsreels. Although the BBC news service in the UK is mostly non-commercial by reason of its financial base, it does compete for its audience with commercial companies such as Sky News and ITN. During major events the majority of domestic television viewers in the UK tune to BBC news for information, but its coverage does not come without criticism.

Radio

The BBC has five major national stations, Radio 1 ("the best in new music"), Radio 2 (the UK's most listened to radio station, with 13.7 million weekly listeners), Radio 3 (specialist-interest music such as classical, world, arts, drama and jazz), Radio 4 (current affairs, drama and comedy), and Radio 5 Live (24 hour news, sports and talk). There is also a network of local stations with a mixture of talk, news and music in England and the Channel Islands as well as national stations of BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru (in Welsh), BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gaidheal (in Scots Gaelic), BBC Radio Ulster, and BBC Radio Foyle. The BBC has been in the forefront of digital radio broadcasting with Five Live Sports Extra (a companion to Five Live for additional events coverage), 1Xtra (for black, urban and gospel music), BBC 6 Music (alternative genres of music), BBC7 (Comedy, Drama & Kids shows), Asian Network (Asian talk, music and news in many Asian languages), and World Service. For a world-wide audience, the BBC produces the BBC World Service, which is broadcast on shortwave radio (DAB Digital Radio in the UK) and can be received in many places across the globe. It can be received in most capital cities and it is a major source of news and information programming, and it is funded by the British Foreign Office. It broadcasts in 43 different languages, (including English) in the most relevant local language. The German Service, created in 1938, which has recently been discontinued, played an important part in the propaganda war against Nazi Germany. The authoritative source is Carl Brinitzer's book "Hier spricht London". Brinitzer, a German lawyer from Hamburg living in exile in London, was a founding member. Another famous member of staff was Egon Jameson (Egon Jacobsson), a former Ullstein journalist from Berlin. Since 1943, the BBC has also provided radio programming to the British Forces Broadcasting Service, which broadcasts in countries where British troops are stationed. All of the national BBC radio stations, as well as the BBC World Service, are available over the Internet in the RealAudio streaming format. The BBC has also recently experimented with the free, open source Ogg Vorbis streaming audio format and podcasting.

Television

BBC One and BBC Two are the BBC's flagship television channels. The BBC is also promoting the new channels BBC Three and BBC Four, which are only available via digital television. The BBC also runs BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, and two children's channels, CBBC and CBeebies. The BBC's commercial subsidiary BBC Worldwide is also part of a joint venture with Flextech in the TV company UKTV, and provides various channels for overseas markets, such as BBC World, BBC Prime, BBC America, BBC Canada and BBC Kids (in Canada), and BBC Japan. Since 1975, the BBC has also provided its TV programmes to the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), allowing members of HM Forces serving all over the world to watch and listen to their favourite programmes from home on two dedicated TV channels.

Worldwide

BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC responsible for the commercial exploitation of BBC programmes and other properties. It broadcasts television stations throughout the world. The cable and satellite stations BBC Prime (in Europe, Africa the Middle East, and Asia), BBC America, BBC Canada, and BBC Japan broadcast popular BBC programmes to people outside the UK, as does UK.TV in Australasia. BBC Worldwide also runs a 24-hour news channel, BBC World. In addition, BBC television news appears nightly on many Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States, as do reruns of BBC programmes from Lionheart TV. BBC Worldwide also maintains the publishing arm of the BBC and it is the third-largest publisher of consumer magazines in the United Kingdom [http://www.bbcworldwide.com/aboutus/corpinfo/annualreps/review2001/Documents/Magazines.pdf]. BBC Magazines, formerly known as BBC Publications, publishes the Radio Times and a number of magazines that support BBC programming such as BBC Top Gear, BBC Good Food, and BBC Music. In addition, BBC Worldwide acquired the independent magazine publisher Origin Publishing in 2004.

Internet

The bbc.co.uk [http://www.bbc.co.uk/] website, formerly BBCi and before that BBC Online, includes a comprehensive news website and archive. It is the UK's most-visited digital destination with over 3 million web pages and that number is rising fast every day. According to Alexa's TrafficRank system, in August 2005 bbc.co.uk was the 10th most popular English Language website in the world. (References: [http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sites?ts_mode=global&lang=none Global Top 500 Sites] - [http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sites?ts_mode=lang&lang=en Top English Language Sites]) The website allows the BBC to produce sections which complement the various programmes on television and radio, and it is common for viewers and listeners to be told website addresses for the bbc.co.uk sections relating to that programme. The site also allows users to listen to most Radio output live and for seven days after broadcast using its RealPlayer-based "Radio Player"; some TV content is also distributed in RealVideo format. A new system known as iMP is currently under development, which uses peer-to-peer and DRM technology to deliver both radio and TV content for offline use for up to 7 days. In recent years some major on-line companies and politicians have complained that the bbc.co.uk website receives too much funding from the television licence, meaning that other websites are unable to compete with the vast amount of advertising-free on-line content available on bbc.co.uk. Some have proposed that the amount of licence fee money spent on bbc.co.uk should be reduced — either being replaced with funding from advertisements or subscriptions, or a reduction in the amount of content available on the site. In response to this the BBC carried out an investigation, and has now set in motion a plan to change the way it provides its online services. bbc.co.uk will now attempt to fill in gaps in the market, but will guide users to other websites for currently existing market provision. (For example, instead of providing local events information and timetables, users will be guided to outside websites already providing that information.) Part of this plan included the BBC closing some of its websites, and rediverting money to redevelop other parts.

Interactive

BBCi is the brand name for the BBC's interactive digital television services, which are available through Freeview (digital terrestrial), as well as satellite and cable. Unlike Ceefax, BBCi is able to display full-colour graphics, photographs, and video, as well as allow the viewer to interact with the programme. Recent examples include the interactive sports coverage for football and rugby football matches and an interactive national IQ test. All of the BBC's digital television stations, with the exception of BBC Parliament on digital satellite, allow access to the BBCi service. However, the amount of content available on the digital television BBCi service does not currently match the amount available on Ceefax, which is still available on analogue terrestrial television. BBCi provides viewers with over 120 interactive TV programmes every year, as well as the 24/7 service.

Unencrypted satellite transmissions

In March 2003 the BBC announced that from the end of May 2003 (subsequently deferred to 14 July) it intended to transmit all eight of its domestic television channels (including the 15 regional variations of BBC 1) unencrypted from the Astra 2D satellite. This move was estimated to save the BBC £85 million over the next five years. While the "footprint" of the Astra 2D satellite was smaller than that of Astra 2A, from which it was previously broadcast encrypted, it meant that viewers with appropriate equipment were able to receive BBC channels "free-to-air" over much of Western Europe. Consequently, some rights issues have needed to be resolved with programme providers such as Hollywood studios and sporting organisations, who have expressed concern about the unencrypted signal leaking out. This led to some broadcasts being made unavailable on the Sky Digital platform, such as Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup football, while viewers watching on other platforms can see the broadcasts without issue, although when rights contracts were renewed, these issues were resolved.

References

#Briggs, Asa. - The BBC - The First Fifty Years - Condensed version of the five-volume history by the same author. - Oxford University Press, 1985. ISBN 0-19-212971-6 #Coulton, Barbara. - Louis MacNeice in the BBC - Writer and producer from 1941 to 1961 in the Features Department of BBC radio. - Faber and Faber, 1980. ISBN 0-571-11537-3 #Gilder PhD., Eric. - Mass Media Moments in the United Kingdom, the USSR and the USA. - Historical background relating to the British Broadcasting Company, Ltd., its founding companies; their transatlantic connections; General Post Office licensing system; commercial competitors from Europe prior to World War II and offshore during the 1960s. - "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu Press, Romania. 2003. ISBN 973-651-596-6 #Milne, Alasdair. - The memoirs of a British broadcaster - History of the Zircon spy satellite affair, written by a former Director General of the BBC. A series of BBC radio programmes called "The Secret Society" led to a raid by police in both England and Scotland to seize documents as part of a government censorship campaign. - Coronet, 1989. - ISBN 0-34-049750-5 #Moran, Lord. - Churchill at War 1940 to 1945 - The Memoirs of Churchill's Doctor, with an introduction by Lord Moran's son, John, the present Lord Moran. - This diary paints an intimate portrait of Churchill by Sir Charles Watson, his personal physician (Lord Moran), who spent the war years with the Prime Minister. In his diary, Moran recorded insights into Churchill's character, and moments when he let his guard down, including his views about the BBC being riddled with communists. - Carroll & Graf, 2002. Reissue ISBN 0-78-671041-1 #Parker, Derek. - David & Charles - Radio: The Great Years - History of BBC radio programmes from the beginning until the date of publication. 1977. ISBN 0-7153-7430-3 #Spangenberg, Jochen. - The BBC in Transition. Reasons, Results and Consequences - Encompassing account of the BBC and influencing external factors until 1996. - Deutscher Universitaetsverlag. 1997. ISBN 3-8244-4227-2 #Wilson, H.H. - Pressure Group - History of the political fight to introduce commercial television into the United Kingdom. - Rutgers University Press, 1961. #West, W.J. - Truth Betrayed a critical assessment of the BBC, London, 1987, ISBN 0-7156-2182-3

Index

External links

BBC web pages

- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ bbc.co.uk: BBC Homepage]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/ bbc.co.uk: About the BBC]
- [http://www.bbcnews.com/ News: BBC News World Edition]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/broadcasting_house.shtml BBC Press Office - Broadcasting House]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/buildings/broadcasting_house.shtml History of the BBC - Broadcasting House]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/ BBC Editorial Guidelines]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/charter/pdf/charter_text.shtml Copy of Royal Charter 1]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/blog/ Morris Telford's Blog – BBC Shropshire]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/testthenation/test2004/index.shtml BBC Test the Nation]

Articles from news websites

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4375652.stm Evolution of bbc broadcasting languages]
- [http://www.sundayherald.com/33018 Sunday Herald: The BBC's war ... caught in crossfire (Mark Damazer, Deputy Director, BBC News)] — 13 April 2003
- [http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63857,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4 Wired: BBC to Open Content Floodgates BBC's Creative Archive project] — 16 June 2004
- [http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,753213,00.html Media Guardian: BBC renews conflict of interest guide for staff] — 11 July 2002
- [http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1426542,00.html Media Guardian: Tories go to war over 'leftie' BBC] — 27 Feburary 2005
- [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article313482.ece The Independent: Blair tells Murdoch: 'gloating' BBC is 'full of hatred for America'] — 18 September 2005

Personal sites

- [http://www.miketodd.net/other/bhhistory/ Broadcasting House - a potted history]
- [http://www.roger.beckwith.btinternet.co.uk/bh/bh32/bh32_i.htm Broadcasting House in 1932]
- [http://www.htw.info/bbc.html Historical Television Website: This is the BBC]
- [http://www.tv-ark.org.uk TV Ark - The British Television Museum]
- [http://www.globalcitizen.co.uk/about/essays/bbc.doc Essay examining the reasons for and against the licence fee]
- [http://www.thetvroom.com The TV Room]
- Category:British television Category:British cultural icons ja:英国放送協会 simple:BBC

ITV plc

ITV plc is a British media company which operates the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. It owns a dominant stake in ITV1, which has vied with the British Broadcasting Corporation's BBC1 for the status of the UK's most watched channel since the 1950s. ITV plc was formed by the merger of Carlton Communications and Granada plc and began trading on 2 February 2004. This was the latest stage in a long process of mergers between the original ITV regional franchises. ITV plc currently owns the following ITV franchises in the UK: Former Granada-owned franchises:
- Anglia Television: East of England franchise
- Border Television: English - Scottish border and Isle of Man franchise
- Granada Television: North West England franchise
- London Weekend Television (LWT): London weekend franchise
- Meridian Television: South and South East England franchise
- Tyne Tees Television: North East England franchise
- Yorkshire Television: Yorkshire/Lincolnshire franchise Former Carlton-owned franchises:
- Carlton: London weekday franchise
- Central Independent Television: Midlands franchise
- HTV: Wales and West of England franchise
- Westcountry Television: South West England franchise As the holder of eleven out of fifteen ITV franchises ITV plc has a dominant influence on ITV1, but it does not actually operate the channel. However it wholly owns the following television channels:
- ITV2
- ITV3
- ITV4
- ITV News Channel (produced by ITN)
- Men & Motors (operated by Granada Sky Broadcasting) ITV plc also owns 75% of the ITV national breakfast television franchise GMTV, as well as 45% of the Irish broadcaster TV3. The company owns a 40% stake in its news provider Independent Television News Limited. On 27 April 2005 ITV plc bought the SDN digital terrestrial franchise holder of multiplex A (currently transmitting ten channels) from its shareholders, S4C and UBM for £134 million. ITV plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was created through a share swop, Granada shareholders exchanged their shares for ITV shares at a rate of 1:1, Carlton shareholders at a rate of almost 2:1. Thus the former Granada shareholders own almost 2/3rds of the new company. ITV plc is divided into three divisions: Broadcast, which operates the TV networks, News, which runs the ITV regional franchises, and Granada which is the network production division. ITV plc also owns the largest cinema advertising business in the UK and Ireland, Carlton Screen Advertising. Category:ITV Category:Media companies of the United Kingdom Category:Companies traded on the London Stock Exchange

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). At its head is the Sovereign; it is bicameral, including an Upper House, called the House of Lords, and a Lower House, called the House of Commons. The House of Lords includes two different types of members—the Lords Spiritual (the senior clergy of the Church of England) and the Lords Temporal (members of the Peerage); it is a wholly unelected body. The House of Commons, on the other hand, is a democratically elected chamber. The House of Lords and the House of Commons meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster (commonly known as the "Houses of Parliament"), in the British capital, London (more precisely, in the borough (and city) known as the City of Westminster). By constitutional convention, all government ministers, including the Prime Minister are drawn exclusively from the House of Commons or House of Lords. Parliament evolved from the ancient council which advised the Sovereign. In theory, power is vested not in Parliament, but in the "Queen-in-Parliament" (or "King-in-Parliament"). The Queen-in-Parliament is often said to be a completely sovereign authority, though such a position is debatable. In modern times, real power is vested in the democratically elected House of Commons; the Sovereign acts only as a figurehead, and the powers of the House of Lords are greatly limited. The British Parliament is often called the "Mother of Parliaments," as the legislative bodies of many nations—most notably, those of the members of the Commonwealth—are modelled on it. However, it is a misquotation of John Bright, who had actually remarked on 18 January 1865 that "England is the Mother of Parliaments", in the context of supporting demands for expanded voting rights in a country which had pioneered Parliamentary government.

History

In the medieval period there were three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, and these developed separate parliaments. The 1707 Act of Union brought England and Scotland together under the Parliament of Great Britain, and the 1800 Act of Union included Ireland under the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Parliament of England

The English Parliament can trace its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066 William of Normandy brought a feudal system where he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws. In 1215 the tenants-in-chief secured from John the Magna Carta, which established that the King may not levy or collect any taxes (except the feudal taxes to which they were hitherto accustomed), save with the consent of his royal council which slowly developed into a Parliament. In 1265, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester summoned the first elected Parliament. The franchise in parliamentary elections for county constituencies was uniform throughout the country, extending to all those who owned the freehold of land to an annual rent of 40 shillings (Forty-shilling Freeholders). In the boroughs, the franchise varied across the country; individual boroughs had varying arrangements. This set the scene for the so-called "Model Parliament" of 1295 adopted by Edward I. By the reign of Edward III Parliament had been separated into two Houses: one, including the nobility and higher clergy, the other, including the knights and burgesses, and no law could be made, nor any ta