ITV has announced a new nations-and-regions development initiative called Amplify: The Regions, which will see five regional indies receive £5k development funding.  
 

Independent production companies based wholly in the regions (in each of the UK’s nations), and not part of a larger corporate group, are encouraged to apply. 
 

Five companies will then be chosen who will each be matched with a genre commissioner at ITV, receive a brief and then take part in a pitch.

As part of the initiative, each chosen company will be given £5,000 to develop any potential ideas. If the ideas are greenlit, they will then go through the standard ITV commissioning process. If ideas are not right for ITV then the production companies are free to pitch their ideas to others.
 

Kevin Lygo, MD, media & entertainment ITV, said: “For both linear and ITVX, ideas can and absolutely do often come from the nations and regions. ITV wants ideas from the regions, about the regions and produced by the regions in the regions. Which is why we’re excited today to be launching a brand new development initiative specifically for regional indies – Amplify: The Regions.”
 

ITV spends more on programme-making (including regional news) outside London than Channel 4 and Channel 5 combined.  
 

Recent regional drama commissions include Lenny Henry’s Three Little Birds made in Birmingham and new Martin Clunes thriller, Out There, currently shooting in Wales in association with Creative Wales. 
 

Regional factual content includes Social Media Murders from CrackIt North and for entertainment, Big Zuu’s 12 Dishes in 12 Hours which is a co-production between Two Four in Plymouth and Big Productions. 
 

A new regional commission for factual was also announced this week. Tik Tok: Murders Gone Viral is produced by Nine Lives from Greater Manchester and Birmingham.