Final details of the merged ITV, to be called ITV plc, will be negotiated by Carlton's and Granada's lawyers by the end of this week or the beginning of next week, sources close to the talks told the FT.
ITV plc is set to become the largest commercial broadcaster outside Germany, and its dominance of the TV advertising market will be the main focus of talks with the regulators.
The two companies are expected to propose a separate sales house for Carlton as a way of satisfying concerns that the merger will reduce competition and increase the price of on-air advertising spots.
The Advertisers' trade body ISBA said last week that the proposed merger would have to overcome "serious regulatory/legislative hurdles before becoming a reality".
ITV can point to the situation in other European countries such as Italy where TV networks have an even larger share of the ad sales market than ITV's 55%.
The companies plans to produce a detailed "pre-conditional" prospectus for the merger ahead of regulatory approval.
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