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Shaps, who left ITV in May 2008 to be replaced by ex-BBC One controller Peter Fincham, is joining the company as chairman.

Shaps spent more than 26 years at ITV in various guises, including director of programmes for LWT and Granada and chief executive of Granada Productions.

A Brand Apart Television is understood to be in discussions with WPP agencies GroupM and Mediaedge:­cia, as well as ITV and Five over the creation of several AFP projects.

The operation also focuses on production and distribution and is led by Neil Osborne, managing director, a former Granada/ITV executive who began his AFP career managing the established Gillette World Sport, which has aired on Channel 4.

 As well as traditional, linear TV, programming offerings, A Brand Apart Television plans to create online and mobile content via a network of platform partners. 

A Brand Apart Television's sister company Back2Back Productions plans to partner with independent producers to tailor programming to meet broadcasters' needs.