Investors

Our online and interactive services continue to grow. Increasing numbers of people use itv.com to access video on demand and in 2009 user numbers grew by 33% to 8.7 million per month. There were nearly 63 million ‘catch-up’ views on ITV Player during the year (more than double the number in 2008), with over 2 million unique users of the service each month.

We seek to ensure that ITV’s reputation as a responsible, family friendly broadcaster is protected on every platform. Our online and interactive services are integrated with our television programming operations which helps to ensure that we apply a consistent approach.

In 2009 the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive was implemented into UK law via regulations which came into force in December. The AVMS Directive extends television regulation to ‘television-like’ programme content available via on-demand services.

On 18 March 2010 ATVOD became the co-regulator with Ofcom for on-demand television-like content.

We have procedures in place to ensure we comply with the new law, but our existing standards of consumer protection go well beyond the legal requirements.

We give viewers information about ITV’s on-demand programmes accessible via itv.com and on other on demand platforms, to ensure informed consumer choice.

Where appropriate, a “G” (for guidance) symbol appears on itv.com as users move the mouse over the programme’s icon, with advice such as “this programme contains strong language”. Viewers cannot open the programme without this advice box appearing.

ITV has also put in place a PIN access control system to ensure parents can choose to control access to post-watershed content and to programming that they may consider unsuitable for their children to watch.

Gaming

ITV offers a number of gaming products including ITV Poker, ITV Bets, ITV Casino and ITV Bingo, through a contract with a specialist online gaming company. In 2009 we ended our contract with the company Party Gaming and signed a new deal with its subsidiary Cashcade.

Cashcade operates under a remote gambling licence issued by the Government of Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority ensures that all licence holders comply with its stringent regulations regarding fair play and prize pay outs.

Cashcade is committed to promoting responsible gaming. To prevent excessive use, players can set controls to limit the amount they can spend and if they decide to exclude themselves from our gaming sites, they are prevented from reopening their account for six months and are taken off our email lists. Our websites provide information for parents on controls available to prevent their children from accessing inappropriate content, including gaming sites. For more information visit http://www.itvbingo.com/skin/responsible.php