ITV announced it had recorded the biggest peaktime share of any TV channel during the six nights between July 4 and 10.
The figures represent the first time the broadcaster has won the ratings battle six nights in a row for the all-important evening peaktime slot, between 7pm and 10.30pm, since April.
The news comes after ITV shareholders Carlton Communications and Granada announced in May that ITV would receive a £25m-a-year boost to its programming budget.
ITV has been struggling to keep up with the BBC in the ratings battle, after its programming budget was frozen at £750m as a result of the advertising downturn, and the losses it incurred from its collapsed digital terrestrial venture ITV Digital, which had haemorrhaged over £1bn since 1998.
ITV's ratings-winning programmes include reality TV show 'Lad's Army', 'It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet', 'Coronation Street', 'Where the Heart Is', 'Taggart', 'Shipman' and a James Bond movie.
One of the highlights of ITV's week was Sunday night, when ITV's new series of 'London's Burning' went head to head with the BBC's 'Nice Guy Eddie', starring Ricky Tomlinson. 'London's Burning' drew 8.1m viewers, a 35.2% share of the audience, while the BBC attracted 3.7m, a 16.3% share.
The Sunday night figures represent a change for the better in ITV's Sunday night performance, because earlier in the year the BBC trumped ITV's popular period drama 'The Forsyte Saga' with 'Auf Wiedersen Pet', which started broadcasting halfway through the ITV series.
ITV joint managing director Mick Desmond said: "Our performance over the past few day has been very encouraging. We are seeing the first signs of our extra investment in the schedule, which bodes well for the rest of the summer and into autumn."
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
.jpg)
.jpg)