Media Analysis: ITV Seeks Autumn Renewal

Beginning of article

With pounds 50m in ad revenues at stake, ITV is pulling out all the stops to win back audiences. Andy Fry reports.

Autumn has always been the most important time of the year for ITV1.

The station generates 40% of its pounds 1.6bn annual ad revenue in the run-up to Christmas. But with ITV1's audience share down 6%-8% year on year in the first eight months of 2004, the current season (which started on 30 August) has taken on a special significance.

Unless ratings rise rapidly, ITV plc stands to lose pounds 50m next year as a result of the Contract Rights Renewal (CRR) remedy, which allows advertisers to reduce their commitment to ITV in line with any fall in audience share (Marketing, 2 September).

With so much at stake, ITV1 has raised the autumn budget for director of …