has raised eyebrows in certain quarters of the media industry, with one City source describing the appointment as "a double-edged sword".
The source said that while Crozier had made Royal Mail profitable and effectively saved the company, a cost-cutting strategy was not what ITV needed. The source said: "With BSkyB and other competitors in the frame, ITV must focus on adding value, not cutting, so there is some scepticism in the City."
Crozier has a media background, rising from a humble beginning on the Pedigree Foods graduate scheme, through a sales job at the Telegraph, to join Saatchi & Saatchi, initially as a media planner. Admedia managing director Adam Mills, then at Abbott Mead Vickers, remembers Crozier when he worked at Saatchis as "a good, amicable bloke, who has been clever in his career choices".
In 1995 Crozier was swiftly promoted to joint chief executive with Tamara Ingram in the wake of the fallout from Maurice Saatchi's acrimonious departure from the agency. It was a baptism of fire and the consensus is that he and Ingram held the agency together under extreme pressure, and both emerged with enhanced reputations.
It was certainly enough to bring him to the attention of the Football Association, where he was thrust into the public eye as chief executive at the tender age of 35.
At the Royal Mail, where he took over as chief executive in 2003, he became known for a tough, sometimes abrasive, approach to the company's seemingly intractable financial and labour difficulties, and managed to steer the company into the black.
However, some TV executives question Crozier's lack of digital experience as he takes the helm of a business that is in dire need of structural reform to keep pace with technological change, while others question his weak broadcast background.
One source said: "Crozier's gaps are new media and digital. He has lived in an analogue world and it remains to be seen whether he can fill those gaps. ITV's issues are digital, and he is not a media or a broadcast person."
The media industry is relieved ITV has finally filled its top vacancy, but many are reserving judgment until seeing proof of what the man who made his name cutting costs at the Royal Mail can deliver for the UK's largest commercial broadcaster.
As one TV executive, who declined to be named, said: "There may be a mismatch between talking about [change] and actually delivering it. I don't think he shifted the Royal Mail that far, and the organisation may have overwhelmed him. Postmen going on strike is hardly an endorsement of a great change agent."
Industry reactions to ITV's new chief executive
Ian McCulloch, founder of consultancy Xsequor and former head of ITV Commercial
"I met Adam Crozier when he ran an away-day for ITV Commercial, and he struck me as articulate and enthusiastic, a great ad man. He clearly understands organisational change, culture and values, and the issues facing large companies at times of transition.
"He also understands how content moves people and how they engage with it – the difference between the FA Cup final and 'The X Factor' is not that great – and, as a former ad man, he understands how ITV is funded. It is encouraging to see ITV move into an era of capable, rounded, intelligent, professional managers."
Pedro Avery, managing director of trading and engagement, Arena BLM
"Adam's appointment is good news for advertisers, as marketing is a core part of his DNA, which will lend power to ITV's advertising proposition.
"He started in the ad business, then he went away and learnt about business, and now he has come to ITV where he will focus the business on advertisers' needs. He has gone from one consumer-centric business to another and now he can let Peter Fincham flourish. However, ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding."
Lorna Tilbian, executive director, Numis Securities
"Adam Crozier ticks a lot of the boxes. He's ex-Saatchi and Saatchi, which makes him a frontline ad man. He was at the Football Association, which will stand him in good stead since much of ITV at the moment is about sport, and his time at the Royal Mail has equipped him to deal with government and quangos.
"But a large part of his success or otherwise will come down to how well he works with chairman Archie Norman. Archie will bring the strategic view and Adam will, if he decides it's the right thing to do, have to implement it."
Richard Oliver, managing partner investment, Universal McCann
"Crozier was not one of the names that have been bandied around. But you can see how ITV arrived at that appointment, as he has a media background, through working at the Telegraph and Saatchis. He's got high-profile business experience, but it's debatable how successful he's been at the FA and the Royal Mail.
"There is a nagging concern that someone with more skills and experience in the broadcast medium would have been preferable, but he does tick some of the boxes. The appointment is not what we were expecting, but that could be a good thing. Crozier has a tough job to replace Michael Grade, especially as the business needs to diversify to succeed, overcoming issues such as regulatory challenges."