ITV Admits to Voting Blunder

LONDON, March 1: ITV has admitted that it inadvertently
overcharged viewers who used the red button on their Sky set-top boxes to vote
for contestants on the last season of The X Factor.

Between October 14 and December 16, viewers had the
opportunity to participate in the show through the red button in two ways,
either by taking part in a prize competition, costing £1 per entry, or by
voting in the show, costing 35p per entry. Red-button voters were charged 50p
per vote instead of 35p. In addition, due to a data inputting error on the part
of ITV, red button competition entrants were charged 35p per entry instead of
£1.

The situation came to light once ITV received the latest red
button revenue statement from Sky, showing a surplus of £200,000.

To rectify this mistake ITV is making a donation of £200,000
to Childline, a 24-hour helpline for children. In addition, the broadcaster is
offering to repay the 15p collected from every vote to any viewer who wishes to
claim it back.