ITV plc
 |
|
| Public limited company | |
| Traded as | : |
| Industry | Media |
| Predecessor |
Granada plc Carlton Communications |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | The London Television Centre, London, United Kingdom |
|
Area served
|
United Kingdom |
|
Key people
|
Sir Peter Bazalgette (Chairman) Adam Crozier (Chief Executive) |
| Products |
Broadcasting Television Production |
| Revenue | £3,064 million (2016) |
| £604 million (2016) | |
| £452 million (2016) | |
| Website | itvplc |
ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. The network, which is branded ITV by ITV plc, has vied with the British Broadcasting Corporation's BBC One for the status of the UK's most watched channel since the 1950s (a crown it lost in 2005).
The company was formed by a corporate takeover by Granada plc (the parent company of Granada Television) of Carlton Communications. Granada acquired a 68% controlling interest of the newly formed company whilst Carlton retained the 32% remaining shares. It began trading on 2 February 2004. This was the most recent stage in a long process of mergers between the original ITV regional franchises. It acquired the remaining 25% of the Breakfast franchise holder, GMTV, from The Walt Disney Company in 2009 and Channel Television from Yattendon Group plc in 2011. On 19 October 2015, ITV announced it would buy UTV for £100 million, with ownership transferring to ITV on 29 February 2016.
ITV plc is listed on the and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
ITV plc was the result of a merger between Granada and Carlton following the various mergers between the companies of the ITV network that had taken place from 1993 when the ownership rules were relaxed.
The first wave of mergers began with Yorkshire Television acquiring Tyne Tees Television in 1992, forming a parent group called Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television Holdings. In 1994, Carlton Communications – which had owned a 20% stake in Central Independent Television – acquired the remainder of the company and, because of Central's shareholdings, inherited a 20% stake in Meridian Broadcasting. Later that year, Granada acquired London Weekend Television through a hostile takeover worth in the region of £750 million. MAI, which controlled Meridian Broadcasting, acquired Anglia Television; MAI became United News & Media after merging with United Newspapers – owners of The Daily Express in 1996. Ownership rules, that previously restricted ownership of ITV licences by one company to two outright, plus 20% in a third, were relaxed, and so Carlton went on to acquire Westcountry Television (later re-branding it Carlton, along with Central), Granada acquired Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Holdings (with the parent group becoming Granada Media, later simply Granada) and United acquired HTV.
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