1.45

In England it is clear that viewers place the most value in regional programming on regional news and information. However, the cost of producing multiple different editions for a single time slot makes regional news the highest public service cost of the ITV1 licences. ITV plc also believes there is a high opportunity cost which is the difference in profitability between regional news programming and a single network programme in the same slot. Last year it proposed to Ofcom that from 2009 there should a new structure for regional news in England and the Scottish Borders which would merge some regions effectively to reduce the number of regions by two. It also wished to phase out the news programmes produced in what are known as ‘sub- regions’.