Broadcast, Online Restructure at ITV

LONDON, November 5: ITV is
integrating its portfolio of broadcast channels and online assets under the
leadership of Peter Fincham, in a restructure that sees Jeff Henry, the
managing director of ITV Consumer, leaving the company.

With the new structure,
Fincham, as director of television, channels and online at ITV, will oversee a
division that includes the online assets ITV.com, ITV Local, project Kangaroo, Friends
Reunited; interactive and gaming functions and the portfolio of TV channels.
Ben McOwen Wilson has been tapped as the director of online with responsibility
for all of ITV's new-media businesses, reporting to Fincham. SDN, the DTT
multiplex operator, will report to Carolyn Fairbairn, the director of group
development and strategy.

Michael
Grade, the executive chairman of ITV, said: "Thanks to Jeff Henry and his
team, this year our online businesses, in particular itv.com which is now a
channel in its own right, have gone from strength to strength and we have seen
unprecedented online growth in unique users and video views. Jeff has created
valuable new revenue streams that we will continue to develop. With content at
the heart of our Turnaround Strategy, it now makes sense to integrate fully all
our platforms to ensure the very best of our content is available to viewers
wherever they wish to view it. It is testament to Jeff Henry's enormous
commitment and success that we are able to do this now, ahead of our schedule,
and I would personally like to thank Jeff for his contribution to ITV."

Fincham
added: "While ITV viewers continue to watch our programming in their
millions on TV, they are increasingly consuming ITV content online and via
catch-up. By integrating all our platforms we can be sure we commission and
deliver the best, most watched and most wanted content from ITV across all our
platforms."

—By
Mansha Daswani