ITV has committed £80m to commissioning from diverse-led companies over the next three years and doubled its diversity development fund to £1m.It follows the broadcaster’s inaugural three-year diversity commissioning fund, which ran from 2022 and saw £80m ringfenced for diverse commissions, alongside an additional £500,000 to develop ideas that could qualify for the fund.The latter has now been doubled, while the next three-year round will see another £80m ringfenced for diversity commissioning spend between 2025 and 2027.To date the development funding has supported over 30 projects over three years, resulting in several commissions, and brought in upcoming writers and directors through initiatives such as Fresh Cuts and Amplify: The Companies.The news comes as ITV today published a report on the inaugural diversity commissioning spend (formerly diversity commissioning fund).ITV said this has driven success in commissioning from more diverse-led companies, reaching new audiences and championing on and off-screen talent as it aims to drive racial and disability equality across the TV industry.It has invested £83.3m across 43 commissions, with £64.1m invested across 13 diverse-led production companies, ITV said, including first-time commissions from diverse-led companies including Big Productions, Douglas Road Productions, Ranga Bee Productions, Postcard Productions and Gold Wala.Forthcoming ITV projects, with funding from the Diversity Commissioning Spend, include primetime ITV1 and ITVX crime drama Code of Silence, starring deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis.Other projects including 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.Its data-driven approach means ITV has focused on addressing the areas of greatest underrepresentation – people of colour and deaf, disabled or neurodivergent people.The next round will once again be 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, with the commercially-funded public service broadcaster summing up its brief as: “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.”ITV’s head of diversity, equity and inclusion Sam Tatlow said: “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.”Meanwhile, ITV has commissioned the documentary Killer in the Blood: The Boarding School Scandal (working title) from Candour Productions.It centres on the tragic personal stories of the haemophiliac children at the Lord Mayor Treloar School in Hampshire, who became victims of secret medical research which left many of them with Hepatitis and HIV.It comes after ITV last year announced Peter Moffat will write a new drama about the infected blood scandal, which is considered one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in NHS history.The commercial broadcaster has also commissioned Brianna (w/t) which will explore the brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, which sparked widespread condemnation across the UK.In February 2023 the teenager, who was trans, was stabbed to death by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.In the 1×75’ doc, produced by MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, Brianna’s mother Esther speaks in depth for the first time about her “beautiful daughter” and how the devastating loss has driven her campaign for change.Elsewhere, ITV has recommissioned Bullseye and Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening for new seasons, while TikTok: Murder Gone Viral will return for a second season on ITV1 and ITVX.
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