ITV puts content at heart of five-year plan

Sensibly, ITV has decided to put "better TV programmes" at the top of the list of things-to-do for the next five years. After all you can spend £10m on flashy internet services but if nobody wants to watch your programmes then you might as well go home instead. (At least Michael Grade comes from a background that acknowledges the power of good television.)

But what's also interesting is this quote: "Mr Grade had vowed to improve ITV's programming when he joined in January this year. Currently, 54% of the programmes it broadcasts are in-house commissions. Today, he said he wants this to be raised to 75%". So ITV naturally feels that it can improve profitability by increasing its level of in-house commissions.

Meanwhile, over at the BBC they are determined to cut costs in every way imaginable, even to the extent of the axing of whole services being discussed (even if not yet implemented). But if external commissions are wasting money in the eyes of ITV, surely this is another important cost-cutting measure that the BBC ought to consider?

The so-called "window of creative competition" is a luxury that serves to benefit the independent production sector as opposed to the BBC itself, and in many cases can also increase the risk of something going badly wrong as has been proven recently by the Queen documentary fiasco.

As Jeremy Paxman recently pointed out, the BBC counts for nothing if it isn't 100% trustworthy.