Premium rate audit clears Dancing on Ice -ITV

LONDON, Mar 10 (Reuters) ITV said it would go ahead with plans to screen the semi-final of its Dancing on Ice reality TV show this weekend after a review found that the programme's premium-rate phone vote was being run in accordance with regulatory procedures.

Earlier this week, ICSTIS, the premium rate services regulator, announced a number of initiatives to restore public trust in phone-in competitions amid concern that viewers might have been conned.

The regulator is proposing a licensing regime for all premium-rate service providers operating participation TV services within three months.

Meanwhile, it is investigating programmes broadcast by ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC to see whether viewers were misled into using premium-rate lines.

ICSTIS chairman Sir Alistair Graham said he would call in the police if evidence of fraud emerged.

City of London Police, which investigates financial fraud, told Reuters yesterday it would act if it had a complaint either from ICSTIS or a member of the public, but had not yet received one.

ITV said that the first stage of a review of the interactive processes and procedures contained within Dancing on Ice had been completed by professional services firm Deloitte.

''ITV is satisfied that the programme is being operated in accordance with the ICSTIS and OFCOM codes,'' it said.

''Deloitte are close to completing their initial review of other current shows and we hope to be making further announcements next week,'' ITV added in a statement.

Simon Shaps, Director of Television at ITV, said: ''We are delighted that Dancing on Ice is going ahead as planned and viewers will be able to vote as normal for their favourite celebrities in today's semi-final.'' Dancing on Ice features celebrities pairing up with professional skating partners to dance in front of a panel of judges.

Figures from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) show it had 9.05 million viewers in the week ending Feb.

25, making it the ITV network's sixth most watched programme after five separately screened episodes of the long-running soap Coronation Street.

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