ITV MOVE NEWS EARLIER TO 7PM

ITV is proposing to move its early evening news to 7pm in a last minute attempt to avoid a damaging court battle with television regulator the Independent Television Commission (ITC) over the demise of 'News at Ten'.
It is expected that ITV will put the proposal to the ITC this week, moving the poorly performing early evening bulletin at 6.30pm, presented by Sir Trevor McDonald, and air it half an hour later.
The commission had concerns about the declining ratings for ITV’s news programmes and ordered the broadcaster to bring forward its 11pm bulletin to 10.30pm when more people would be watching television.
ITV was granted a judicial review at the High Court in London, which was to be heard next month. However, the situation has changed dramatically since the BBC’s general director Greg Dyke announced his plans to move the Nine O’Clock news to 10pm, increasing competition for late night audiences.
ITC accepts that the only move, which would increase the ratings for ITV’s news programmes, is to move the 6.30pm bulletin to 7pm.
The broadcaster, which is understood to agree, is currently struggling to compete with the BBC’s relaunched national and regional bulletins that run from 6pm to 7pm.
Charles Allen, chairman of Granada Media, told an audience at the Guardian Edinburgh international television festival that the network had taken its eye off the ball on the 'News at Ten' issue during the past year, when several of the companies had been involved in mergers.
Patricia Hodgson, the former BBC policy chief who takes over as chief executive of the regulator tomorrow, replied that dialogue was possible “right up to the door of the court”.
Later, Allen said he would contact be contacting Hodgson in an attempt to avert the court case. He said: “The BBC move has really crystallised the news issue. It's time for dialogue. We must see if there is a more intelligent way of doing this.”
ITV is prepared to offer to move the news to 7.30pm if the ITC reject its move to 7pm.
Carlton is keen to move the 6.30pm programme because many of its London franchise area viewers do not get home in time to watch it.
The BBC, meanwhile, is facing opposition from within its own ranks with the plan to move its main evening news programme to 10pm, announced on Friday by BBC Director-General Greg Dyke at the Television Festival.
Michael Buerk, one of the presenters of the Nine O’Clock News, expressed concern about the change, he said: “The Nine O’Clock News has been a trademark for grown-up news for many, many years. So I'm personally very sad. I also want to know, if it is switched to ten, what the BBC can put on between 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock to justify the move.”
At the weekend, Dyke denied that his decision to move the news to 10pm would result in fewer viewers for the bulletin and claimed it would allow the BBC to bolster its peak time schedule on its principal channel.