ITV and Channel 4 push for longer ad breaks

Number of PSBs are understood to be in discussions with Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

ITV: Love Island has driven better-than-expected revenues
ITV: Love Island has driven better-than-expected revenues

ITV and Channel 4 are reported to be lobbying for longer ad breaks as they aim to claw back declining revenues.

a number of public service broadcasters are in talks with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to lift the current cap of seven-minute ad breaks per hour, which rises to eight minutes for prime-time TV.

Other commercial broadcasters are allowed to show nine minutes of ads, according to Ofcom rules.

ITV and Channel 4 are both under a lot of pressure from online streaming platforms including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 

Last month ITV reported that total revenues dropped 5% in the first half of 2019. The broadcaster announced plans to run two Love Island shows next year after pulling in better-than-expected revenues.

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Market Reports.

Find out more

Enjoying ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s content?

 Get unlimited access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s premium content for your whole company with a corporate licence.

Upgrade access

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an alert now

Partner content