HTV plea for licence timetable

HTV Group, the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, has called on the Independent Television Commission to publish its timetable for licence renewal and to ensure that Channel 3 licensees are reviewed on an individual basis. In his address to the company's annual meeting, Louis Sherwood, chairman said: "If ITV and HTV are to be able to plan accurately for the next licence period then we do need to know soon precisely what these future licence payments will be. Importantly we would also urge them [ITC] to confirm that they will review each licence on an individual basis.

"There may be a temptation to take a macro-view of ITV's prospects in the years ahead. That will not do," he said. "What is required is a detailed analysis of each region's past revenue trends and then, looking forward, a careful analysis of what the future holds, region by region."