Channel 4, Channel Five, BSkyB and the newly created ITV plc are in discussions to form a body similar to the Radio Advertising Bureau, dedicated to selling the benefits of TV advertising.
Airtime sales executives at the broadcasters will meet on Friday to thrash out details of an alliance to match the achievements of the RAB, which presents a united front to advertisers and media buyers.
Moves to create a cheerleader for TV advertising have been given greater impetus by the creation of ITV plc. The merged Granada and Carlton controls about 52% of the TV advertising market, and it has triggered a change within the sales culture at ITV.
Before the merger, the disparate ITV franchises not only competed with rival broadcasters but also with each other. Now the network's airtime is handled by one sales house, ITV is making more positive noises about a collegiate approach.
The merger of Granada and Carlton could lead to collaboration between other broadcasters. Ofcom, the communications watchdog, has lifted the barrier on Channels 4 and Five plus BSkyB merging sales operations, after the creation of ITV plc. Informal talks have taken place, with multi-channel sales house IDS involved, but the creation of a Five/BSkyB or IDS/BSkyB sales house is not considered imminent.
Nick Milligan, deputy chief executive of Five, which has an 8% share of the market, said a joint approach to selling the virtues of TV advertising is overdue. "In the 1980s there was a marketing agency for TV but in the 1990s there was a new, brash arrogant approach which served neither advertisers nor broadcasters. Now we need to adopt a softer approach and have a more inclusive and effective means of communicating with the advertiser."
Andy Barnes, head of advertising at Channel 4, which controls about 20% of the market, said the main broadcasters were committed in principle to working together, but hurdles remained. "The time is right for the companies to come together. The only hard thing is getting people in the same room and agreeing an agenda that suits everybody."
Mr Barnes said the new organisation would be "RAB-esque", possibly with a dedicated staff drawn from the member companies. Informal meetings have been held over the past few months to consider a number of initiatives, including research on the effectiveness of TV advertising for clients and the effect of personal video recorders on viewing of commercials.
Media buyers, who book airtime for clients such as British Airways and Coca-Cola, warned that broadcasters must erase the legacy of years of cut-throat competition if the new body is to be a success.
"The TV companies have got to be honest with each other and find a new way of talking to each other at a professional level in order to explain the benefits of TV. That's something they'll have to work on over the next few years," said Chris Hayward, head of TV at Zenith Optimedia.
