ITV UK

ITV (previously branded ITV1 from 2001 to 2013) is a British free-to-air television channel owned and operated by ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 service across the country except in the central and northern areas of Scotland where STV provides the service.

ITV as a consistent national channel (with, importantly, dedicated slots for regional news and other regional programmes) evolved out of the old ITV network - a federation of separately owned regional companies which had significantly different local schedules and branding.

Arguably the single biggest move in the creation of ITV in its present form came in 2004 when Granada Television acquired Carlton Communications to form ITV plc. The two companies had gradually acquired all the other regional Channel 3 companies in England and Wales. ITV plc later acquired Channel Television in the Channel Islands and UTV in Northern Ireland.

ITV today is the biggest and most popular commercial television channel in the United Kingdom. ITV, and its predecessor regional channels, have contended with BBC One for the status of the UK's most watched television channel since the 1950s. However, in line with other terrestrial channels, ITV's audience share has fallen as a result of availability of multi-channel television in the UK.