ITV's senior programming executive last night called for the network to be freed from its most restrictive public service obligations, signalling the start of a renegotiation of its role in the multichannel age.
Nigel Pickard, director of programmes since February, said the channel's annual commitment to 104 hours of religious programming may be "too much" in an increasingly competitive environment.
In a speech delivered as new media regulator Ofcom is preparing to launch a wide-ranging review of public service broadcasting, he suggested the BBC and Channel 4 should take more of the burden.
"We're fast approaching the point where special cases and special interests can no longer be accommodated on a mainstream channel that has to work harder than ever to earn its keep," Mr Pickard said in a Bafta lecture last night.
But he delivered a strong rebuke to critics who have predicted the death of arts, religion and current affairs on the newly merged ITV, particularly if it falls prey to a foreign buyer. In a reference to the American billionaire who has expressed an interest in ITV, he said: "So, Mr Haim Saban, get your reading glasses out. ITV's regulatory obligations are part of the deal." He said a rejuvenation of ITV was already under way, with "tired" stars and formats on the way out.
Mr Pickard's speech, a day after the trade secretary, Patricia Hewitt, gave the go-ahead for the merger of Carlton and Granada, was seen as an important statement of the network's position in advance of Ofcom's public service review.
He made it clear that regulators must be realistic about what ITV could be expected to achieve. The network has protested that its obligation to show a weekly act of worship appears anachronistic - the BBC has no such commitment - but Mr Pickard denied ITV wanted to abandon such programmes.
"We won't be dropping arts, religion and the rest off a cliff at the end of this year. They'll all stay part of ITV's mixed offer for some time to come, but it is inevitable that there will be an increasing focus on those genres that sit more comfortably on a mass channel."
Mr Pickard argued that ITV's multimillion-pound investment in original TV drama was a more important indicator of its public service role.