In the runup to what would turn out to be the last franchise battle for the onceregional ITV stations, Nick Higham spent several weeks shadowing Yorkshire Television as it prepared to gear up to fulfilling its franchise bid commitments, in the hope that the Independent Television Commission (ITC) would resist the desire to go for a change. We also see the MIPCOM Television Festival in Cannes where the major ITV companies attempt to sell their wares to television companies around the world and feel the pressure of the free international market. Even strong UK players such as LWT and Central, were seen as "tiddlers" in the global arena, and against this backdrop and burgeoning satellite and cable technologies, it was seen by all that ITV companies had to diversify, with one eye on future mergers, in order to survive.

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