Howell refused to dismiss rumours that he is considering the role, which is being vacated by Charles Allen.
'I'm not ruling myself in and I'm not ruling myself out,' said Howell.
He added that he had not had any contact with Zygos, the headhunter leading the search, but said he could understand why his name had come up. 'ITV needs a creative leader and that is what I'm used to doing.'
The majority of names linked to the job so far have come from within the TV industry. Frontrunners include outgoing Ofcom chief executive Stephen Carter, former BBC director-general Greg Dyke and Five chief executive Jane Lighting.
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