Phase one of television company ITV’s move to the new MediaCityUK facilities in Salford Quays is now officially complete, with several of the channel’s most popular shows already being broadcast from the location.
During the past six months, over 500 staff have permanently relocated from the ITV building in London to the new 62,000 sq ft commercial space, with departments including Entertainment, News, Factual and CITV all affected.
However, as ITV currently holds the lease for a 64,000 sq ft site located within the Orange Tower, there is still some way to go before the station can claim to have fully put down roots in the north.
The announcement was made public as the first ITV News Granada report was broadcast from MediaCityUK on the 25th March. While this is undoubtedly good news for ITV bosses, who will be celebrating a successful stage one transition, representatives from MediaCityUK shared in the good fortune – as managing director Stephen Wild explains.
He says; “The arrival of ITV staff is hugely significant to the thriving media community here, which is also home to nearly a hundred smaller creative businesses.
“With ITV News Granada Reports now broadcasting from Orange Tower, MediaCityUK becomes the biggest news hub outside London.”
Of course, Granada News is just the latest show to be broadcast from MediaCityUK by ITV, as several popular offerings have been on location for some time now. For example, daytime staple The Jeremy Kyle Show was the first ITV show to be filmed in Dock 10 – one of the major sets in the main studio.
The studio was designed by Manchester-based ID:SR who managed to put the emphasis very much on flexible, modern commercial space. Much of the studio is open plan to ease the process of set switching and technological transitions, while the “glass box” news studio allows for wide-pan camera angles and 360-degree shots.
ITV is now looking to expand their audience base and chief executive Adam Crozier believes that the commercial space within MediaCityUK will allow the station to do just that.
He says; “Our move to a new, modern, fit for purpose base in MediaCityUK is vital in enabling us to focus on growing our national and international production and broadcasting business.
“Joining this creative hub outside of London ensures the region is not only an important part of ITV’s history, it’s also a hugely important part of our future.”
Do you think setting up modern media hubs outside the Capital is important in distributing the industry for different perspectives, or would MediaCityUK be just as successful if it were developed as a creative industry hub in London?
