Advert rules 'tilt playing field' against TV, says Adam Crozier

ITV boss Adam Crozier said today that outdated regulations threatened the success of the creative industries.

He was one of several industry insiders who contributed essays to a book, called A Creative Recovery, published by think tank Reform.

Crozier, who joined ITV from the Royal Mail in April, wrote: "Today, total advertising spend online exceeds that on TV, yet TV advertising is still regulated as if competition from the internet didn't exist."

He said outdated restrictions, including the Contract Rights Renewal which regulates the sale of advertising airtime, served "to tilt the playing field" against them.

Crozier quoted from novelist HG Wells and said the industry had to "adapt or perish".

The book argues that Government needs to balance regulation that encourages private investment while protecting consumers' interests.

Dale Bassett, from the think tank, said: "The UK has a big competitive advantage in the creative industries, which it has used to build a world-leading sector. Government policy and regulation stuck in the 20th century threatens to undermine that success.

"In the brave new world of converged platforms and increased competition, government must step back and let UK creative leaders old and new continue to innovate, expand and thrive."