LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - British broadcasters ITV and the BBC have signed a memorandum of understanding on a partnership for regional news that could save ITV up to 7 million pounds ($10 million) per year, they said on Thursday.
ITV, Britain's biggest commercial free-to-air broadcaster, is battling a severe decline in advertising revenues and has complained that its obligations as a public-service broadcaster that include producing a quota of regional news are too onerous.
ITV said in a joint statement with the BBC that cooperating in regional news in England and Wales could save ITV 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) in 2011, rising to more than 7 million pounds in 2016.
Possibilities for partnership included co-locating regional news centres and bureaux, sharing technical facilities and pooling video gathered by BBC crews, the two companies said.
'The BBC and ITV will now continue our discussions around what would be an innovative and ground-breaking proposal,' BBC Deputy Director-General Mark Byford said.
Any final agreement is subject to further discussion, but the parties have already outlined a mechanism for the BBC to provide access to its regional news infrastructure and resources, they said.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by David Cowell) ($1=.7226 Pound) Keywords: TELEVISION BRITAIN/NEWS (georgina.prodhan@thomsonreuters.com; +4420 7542 7954; Reuters Messaging georgina.prodhan.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
ITV, Britain's biggest commercial free-to-air broadcaster, is battling a severe decline in advertising revenues and has complained that its obligations as a public-service broadcaster that include producing a quota of regional news are too onerous.
ITV said in a joint statement with the BBC that cooperating in regional news in England and Wales could save ITV 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) in 2011, rising to more than 7 million pounds in 2016.
Possibilities for partnership included co-locating regional news centres and bureaux, sharing technical facilities and pooling video gathered by BBC crews, the two companies said.
'The BBC and ITV will now continue our discussions around what would be an innovative and ground-breaking proposal,' BBC Deputy Director-General Mark Byford said.
Any final agreement is subject to further discussion, but the parties have already outlined a mechanism for the BBC to provide access to its regional news infrastructure and resources, they said.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by David Cowell) ($1=.7226 Pound) Keywords: TELEVISION BRITAIN/NEWS (georgina.prodhan@thomsonreuters.com; +4420 7542 7954; Reuters Messaging georgina.prodhan.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
