The Telegraph reports in part:

Michael Grade’s showbiz-style January arrival injected the feel-good factor back into ITV Plc, but the chairman’s half-term report today will screen a decidedly mixed picture.

Investors will reflect on how far Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster has progressed, or otherwise, since he was poached from the BBC.

After an initial rally on hopes of a turnaround or even another bid approach, ITV shares have flopped this year, as takeover hopes faded and concerns have mounted over consumer spending.

The internal euphoria that greeted Mr Grade’s appointment has been deflated too by ITV’s role in the damaging industry-wide TV phone-in scandal.

It has now been dragged into the ”deceitful telly” row, with its documentary on the death of an Alzheimer’s sufferer. That has put ITV under renewed pressure as it awaits results of a Deloitte probe into irregularities in the operation of TV phone-in votes.

It will count the cost of those lost phone revenues today, when it is expected to report group Ebita (earnings before interest, tax and amortisation) of £141m, down from £202m for the same period last year.

No surprises here. Except for the odd movie or sporting event, I never watch ITV. It’s terrible — particularly the news and drama.