Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the "Broadcasting Act 1990", its legal name has been Channel 3,the number 3 having no real meaning other than to distinguish it from "BBC One", "BBC Two" and "Channel 4" - prior to this,the network had no legal overall name.
ITV is to be distinguished from ITV plc, the company that resulted from the merger of "Granada plc" and "Carlton Communications" in 2004 and which owns all of the Channel 3 broadcasting licences in England, Wales, the Scottish/English Border and the Isle of Man. Similarly "ITV1" is the brand used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas.
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Independent Television was created following the "Television Act 1954". The Independent Television Authority was set up to control and review the network. In the three main areas – London, the Midlands and the North of England – ITV was launched in September 1955, February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. The shape of the ITV Network and the course it has taken down the years has largely been controlled by regular refranchising rounds which occurred in 1964, 1968, 1974, 1982, and 1993. These rounds saw regions and franchise areas reshaped and franchise holders changed. Additionally, since the "Broadcasting Act 1990" the consolidation of ITV companies has also had an important bearing on the direction of the network.
The first ITV contractor to begin broadcasting was the London Weekday contractor Associated-Rediffusion, on 22 September 1955 beginning at 7.15pm. The weekend London contractor, ATV London (initially known as "ABC" until the Midlands' and North's weekend contractor, Associated British Corporation, complained), began two days later. The other regions all launched later.
Granada Television, the production company of Coronation Street, is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. It previously held the North of England weekday franchise (which also covered large parts of Yorkshire) from 1954 (broadcasting began on 3rd May, 1956) until 1968 when its broadcast area was split into two franchises.
Granada is the only one of the original four ITA franchisees from 1954 that survived as a franchise holder into the twenty-first century.
ABC - Held the weekend franchise for the North and Midlands and therefore never transmitted Coronation Street
Wales West and North Television
Independent Television Service for Wales and the West
Carlton Television
London Weekend Television
Television South
Meridian
The Incorporated Television Company (ITC) distributed and co-produced The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and The Dark Crystal. Originally formed in 1955 by British impresario Lew Grade, it became his main production wing for Associated TeleVision (ATV), as part of the commercial Independent Television Network (ITV). After initially finding success creating the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, ITC became more notable for two types of shows in the 1960s: secret agents and spy series such as The Saint (starring future James Bond/Muppet Show guest star Roger Moore) and the two classic series of Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man (known in the US as Secret Agent) and The Prisoner, as well as the various "Supermarionation" and science fiction series of Gerry Anderson, such as Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, and the live action series UFO and Space: 1999.
By the 1970s, ITC began to branch out into other kinds of productions, undertaking feature films like The Return of the Pink Panther (featuring Peter Sellers) and the 1977 TV-miniseries Jesus of Nazareth by film director Franco Zefferelli. With the success of The Muppet Show and Jesus in particular in the mid-late 1970s, the company had entered its biggest, most notable period. Unfortunately, the studio approached hard times in 1980 with the failure of several other films, particularly the big-budget action drama Raise the Titanic, combined with Henson's voluntary end to The Muppet Show and the banishment of Grade's involvement in ATV with the ITV contract bidding war, forcing the former network to transform into Central Television in 1982. Amazingly, some of ITC's most famous works were released in this period of turmoil, including The Dark Crystal and the Oscar winning films On Golden Pond (with Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda) and Sophie's Choice (starring Meryl Streep). The company barely existed and did minor productions until eventually being bought out by Carlton Television in 1999.
In 2004 Carlton merged with the other major commercial TV company in the UK, Granada, to form ITV plc. ITV is now the single largest commercial broadcaster in the UK holding many TV and Film rights (including the Rank Film Distributors library and popular 'Carry On' films).
As a side note, Peter Harris was an ATV/ITC staff TV producer and worked on many other programmes including 'ATV Today', 'Tiswas' and 'Spitting Image' (many episodes of which were filmed in ATV's Elstree Studios - home to The Muppet Show).
 The ITC logo preceded and followed the original broadcasts of The Muppet Show. |
 The Original Zoot Ending Shot with ITC logo from Season 1 |
 The Original Zoot Ending Shot with ITC logo from Season 3. |
 The ATV logo preceded and followed the original broadcasts of The Muppet Show in the U.K. |
 The Original Orchestra Ending Shot with ATV logo form Season 1. |
 The Original Zoot Ending with ATV logo from Season 1. |
 The Original Zoot Ending Shot with ATV logo from Season 2. |
 The Original Zoot Ending Shot with ATV logo from Season 4. |
Instant Travel Vehicle (ITV) is a skill that allows players to call a "transport" that will allow them to travel to any Spaceport or Shuttleport on the planet they are currently on (except Kashyyyk) for free.
By using a simple command on your toolbar, a player can click the mouse and have an X-Wing, shuttle,a TIE fighter or a Rattletrap ready to take them where they need to go.
These vehicles will take the player to any Space or Shuttleport on the planet (but not from planet to planet).
While there is no difference in their function, there are five different looking "transports" players can call:
Restrictions:
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