STV's legal battle against ITV could cost it £21.1m
STV's legal battle against ITV could cost it £21.1mSTV’s legal battle with ITV could cost the Scottish broadcaster £21.1 million should it lose all three claims, it has admitted today.
While announcing its preliminary financial results for last year, chief executive Rob Woodward has said that the broadcast spent £3.5 million on litigation costs as a result of the three legal disputes it current has with ITV.
It is understood that should a settlement not be reached between the two organisations, which began when STV began to opt-out of ITV schedules in favour or running its own content, the cases will reach court in May.
STV launched a £35 million action against ITV in November, following a claimed by ITV for £38 million as a result of STV’s opt-out decision, with ITV claiming that it has not paid its programme budget contributions.
A third claim is also being prepared by STV against ITV for what it describes as ‘significant prejudicial behaviour’.
Woodward also said that the broadcasters shareholders were in full support of the legal action, while figures revealed at the programme strategy saw STV save £5 million last year.
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I agree, STV are a the most pernicious and corrosive force in Scottish Media; they don’t commission programmes from the Scottish independent sector, they stop Scottish viewers from seeing the best of ITV1, they make cheap, un-engaging programmes aimed at the lowest common denominator, they undercut commercial production companies by subsidising their own production team with discounted internal post production facilities and with income from air time, and they actively try and dissuade advertisers from using ad agencies as they have STV Creative (biggest oxymoron in history).
Seek out ITV1 on Sky and Virgin – it’s available on both.
And so say all of us!!
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