Investors

Making television programmes requires a diverse cast and crew of writers, actors, directors, designers, musicians, editors, and technical experts. ITV supports the creative economy by investing in productions, employing permanent staff and freelancers, and offering opportunities for people in the industry to learn new skills.

Our investment

In 2009, we commissioned new productions worth over £520 million for ITV1. Around half were produced by ITV and half by external production companies.

ITV is committed to making programmes in the UK, and in 2009 the majority of new programmes shown on ITV1 were made in this country. We also exceeded all our targets for independent, original and European programming for ITV1 (see table). The targets remain the same for 2010.

Programming on ITV1 in 2009

Productions outside London

We are aware that London is a base for many productions, but there are other regions with thriving creative industries that need support. We invest significantly outside London, in our own programmes and those of independent producers. In 2009, 52% of our originated network programming hours and 45% of spend were incurred outside the M25, exceeding Ofcom requirements.

As well as our London facilities, ITV Studios operates a major production centre in Manchester and also has bases in Leeds and Norwich, where our wildlife programme business makes shows for the international market. We ensure we give opportunities to writers and actors living outside the South East, for example on our serial dramas Emmerdale and Coronation Street which are made and based in the north of England.

Making programmes in smaller towns or rural areas can bring considerable economic benefits because production teams on location spend money on accommodation, catering, transportation and other locally-sourced services. In some cases, such as our 2009 series ‘The Lakes,’ programmes set in picturesque rural areas can also increase revenues from tourism.

ITV shows produced outside London in 2009 include:

• The pilot episode of detective drama ‘Vera’, starring Brenda Blethyn, filmed in Newcastle and Northumberland in the northeast of England. We have now commissioned a full series of the programme, to be made in 2010.
• ‘Married, Single, Other’, a six-episode romantic comedy drama series, set and shot in Leeds, northern England, and produced in partnership with Screen Yorkshire.
• ‘The Lakes’, a new series that looks at life in one of Britain’s favourite holiday destinations, the Lake District. We have recommissioned the programme for a further 12 episodes.

We also commissioned a new adaptation of the classic, ‘Wuthering Heights’, to be made in Yorkshire by an independent production company.

Hiring freelancers

Freelancers are crucial to our business. We employ people with a wide range of skills on temporary contracts to meet our changing needs. This includes creative people such as performers and directors, as well as technical experts. Working for ITV can enhance freelancers’ skills and give them knowledge and experience they can use in their future roles.

Investing in training

The nature and availability of jobs in television have changed rapidly because of the global economic situation and advances in technology. ITV is involved with several training initiatives designed to enhance the skills of people in our industry. This helps improve the quality of the talent pool available to ITV and other production companies.

Financial constraints meant our investment in training for people not directly employed by ITV was limited in 2009. We did continue to invest in the following initiatives:

• The Foundation Placement Scheme, an industry collaboration that offers one-year paid placements to people from ethnic minorities
• Internships in each of our regional newsrooms to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to get into journalism
• Placements for ethnic minority students at City University to spend one day a week at ITV
• Health and safety training for freelancers under the Health and Safety Passport initiative

Encouraging involvement in film and television

Our programme commissioners take part in events and sit on awards panels that encourage people to get involved with film and television. In 2009, these included:

• Children’s BAFTA Awards
• Edinburgh Television Festival, including a ‘Speed date the commissioners’ event
• Ideas generation event in partnership with Screen Yorkshire
• Televisual Intelligent Factual Festival
• Women in Film and Television award for news and documentary