ITV announces £80 million diversity commissioning spend to drive racial and disability equity across TV

ITV is announcing a further ring-fenced £80 million in commissioning spend for diverse projects over the next three years, and a doubling of the Diversity Development Fund (that helps develop qualifying ideas) to £1 million, following the success of the inaugural Diversity Commissioning Fund.

The news comes as ITV published a report on the inaugural Diversity Commissioning Spend (formerly Diversity Commissioning Fund), which in 2022 ringfenced £80 million over three years for diverse commissions, alongside an additional £500k Diversity Development Fund to develop ideas that could qualify for the fund.

The report reveals that the Diversity Commissioning Spend has driven success in commissioning from more diverse-led companies, reaching new audiences and championing on and off-screen talent. ITV’s Media and Entertainment team and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team are today pleased to confirm its return for 2025 - 2027.

Known now as the Diversity Commissioning Spend, this £80 million investment is ringfenced money in ITV’s existing programme budget, driving racial and disability equity across the TV industry. Its data-driven approach means ITV has focused on addressing the areas of greatest underrepresentation – People of Colour (POC) and Deaf, Disabled or Neurodivergent (DDN) people.

It is once again available for qualifying companies who can demonstrate diverse ownership or leadership, or two of the remaining three criteria around either diverse creative leadership, diverse stories and portrayal on-screen, or diverse salary spend.

Ideas should be pitched to ITV’s commissioning teams and must fit existing editorial briefs for specific departments, but in short ITV is looking for the very best popular, inclusive unmissably entertaining ideas, to bring in wide audiences to ITV1 and ITVX, with a particular focus on 25-54 year olds.

Alongside the Diversity Commissioning Spend, ITV is announcing it will be doubling investment in the Diversity Development Fund to £1 million over 2025-27, and expanding how it can be used to include making sets more accessible and developing underrepresented trainees.

ITV’s Diversity Development Fund is additional spend on top of ITV’s programme budget, and has to date supported a thriving pipeline of ideas and creatives over the past three years, developing over 30 projects, resulting in several commissions, and empowered upcoming writers and directors through initiatives like Fresh Cuts and Amplify: The Companies.

Highlights from the 2022-2024 Diversity Commissioning Spend include:

Invested £83.3 million across 43 commissions including new shows, formats, and returning favourites, with £64.1 million invested across 13 diverse-led production companies

Across 2022-24, doubled our average spend with diverse-led production companies (compared to 2021)

First-time commissions from diverse-led companies including Big Productions, Douglas Road Productions, Ranga Bee Productions, Postcard Productions and Gold Wala

Inspired real social change, including a surge in people looking to learn British Sign Language after John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf

Awards and nominations, including from BAFTA, the Royal Television Society and the National Television Awards

From 2022-24, Diversity Commissioning Spend shows had greater diversity off-screen compared to other ITV shows – Deaf, Disabled & Neurodivergent off-screen contributions were 63% higher, and contributions from People Of Colour overall and in key creative roles were more than twice as high

Reached new diverse audiences: 9 in 10 shows delivered either a higher proportion of People Of Colour or Disabled viewers than other ITV shows and 4 in 10 a higher proportion of both.

Forthcoming ITV projects, with funding from the Diversity Commissioning Spend include a primetime ITV1 and ITVX crime drama Code of Silence, starring Deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis as the lead, which delivers a gripping story supported by a largely Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent cast and crew. Also from ITV Drama, a refreshing reimagining of the crime and courtroom genre in Saviour, produced by Nisha Parti’s Parti Productions alongside production partners Drama Republic, written by first-time screenwriter Imran Mahmood for ITV1 primetime and ITVX.

From the Entertainment Commissioning team, a major entertainment series from Rockerdale Studios, The Assembly, which will air in 2025, and sees celebrities questioned by inquisitive interviewers who are autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled.

From the Factual Entertainment team, following the success of Flicker Productions’ BAFTA award-winning documentary Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family, the retired British Paralympian swimmer returns to front a deeply personal documentary, Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?.

Sam Tatlow, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, ITV: “We’re proud of the successes the Diversity Commissioning Spend has driven and we look forward to continuing to work with our brilliant commissioning team to find more great content that is entertaining, inclusive and gives equitable opportunities for talented underrepresented people to develop in our industry. We will continue to collaborate closely with our fellow broadcasters and industry partners to maintain momentum in 2025 to drive change on and off screen.”

www.itv.com

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