BB FANS

ITV invests £36m in its channels
ITV is poised to launch ITV3 this winter, the company has announced.

The new channel will target viewers aged 35 years and older with a range of dramas and movies.

The budget for ITV2 is to double and will show more sports, American shows and movies aimed at viewers aged under 35.

Its strategy is part of a £36m per year additional investment that ITV hopes will generate £150m extra revenue by 2007.

The company has announced a significant increase in advertising revenues following the merger of Carlton and Granada.

They have risen 4.9% on the same period last year and continue to support the channel's revival. ITV sales have been merged into one system.

Chief Executive Charles Allen said: "Already the benefits of one ITV are apparent in our performance and efficiency. We have a strong foundation for the ambitious plans we have."

The ITV2 channel is now the third most watched non-terrestrial channel in multi channel homes, it was announced.

Ratings have risen 8% in the last 12 months on the back of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Hell's Kitchen.

It is good news for Allen, under intense pressure from BSkyB's success and the rumour that former BBC director-general Greg Dyke is interested in taking his job.
TVplus

[cough]ITV3, sign up most of the comedy central shows. Look for Adult Swim (Cartoon Comedies) and sign them too. Before Sky get the chance. You wont do wrong, trust me.[/cough]

Thanks for the news Madeline.

Let's hope ITV3 wont be a +1 channel, that would be boring.

Perhaps it is - ITV2+1 (= ITV3)

A bit like E5 (E4+1). Anyway, surely it should be E4 minus 1 seeing as it's an hour behind ${

Too many channels on Sky, who's got time to watch them, especially as TV audience figures are dropping with the greater take up of broadband internet.

I'd just like to say, ITV is, bollocks, ITV2 is even more bollocks, and ITV's ideas of entertaining programs for those over the age of 35 are, well, bollocks. I'm sorry, but I find ITV to be completely tacky, I quite literally NEVER watch it, its full of shoddy dramas, american talkshows (Letterman and co) and more bollocks.

I were hoping it would be like BBC4, but reading that 'dramas and movies' it sounds dissappointing.

Hey, maybe its just me though, being 17 I'm not ITV3's target audience, but my favourite channels ARE BBC4 and C4.

Besides which, they bleeding cut huge chunks out of films with the adverts.

So, anyone else think its bollocks?

Me, the only decent thing on ITV for ages was Cold Feet. ITV is generally tacky. Yes, call me old-fashioned too, but my fave channels are the BBC, C4, and Red Hot Dutch

oops, how did that slip in there?