Television news producer ITN has signed a six-year contract to continue supplying news to commercial network ITV.
ITV said today the contract would run from January 2003. Initially ITV had received bids from ITN and rival Channel Three News for what had been expected to be a four or five year contract.
ITN is owned by Granada and Carlton Communications - which together control around 90 per cent of ITV - as well as United Business Media, Daily Mail & General Trust and Reuters Group.
The Channel Three News consortium includes broadcasters BSkyB, CBS, financial news and services company Bloomberg, UK media group Chrysalis Group and Northern Irish ITV licence holder Ulster Television.