The announcement that ITV is going to create a new department (ITV Imagine) that will be devoted to generating creative ideas looks like a step in the right direction, at least on paper. In essence this is a direct replacement for the various creative teams that resided within the various regional ITV franchises when they existed as separate companies.
However it appears that the emphasis for ITV Imagine is to develop new business ideas when ITV still desperately needs new programming ideas. And the crucial difference between ITV plc and the likes of Apple and Disney is that the latter two companies have an extremely strong creative vision; something that ITV sadly still appears not to have.
So if ITV Imagine is to truly succeed, it needs an ITV that is prepared to try out new ideas and stand by them even if their shareholders start to get agitated, otherwise ITV Imagine will be stuck in a dead end trying to figure out yet another creative way of marketing the same old ideas.
There's only so many ways you can polish a turd...
