WI: Carlton Television never won the London weekday franchise?

Let me say it, the history of ITV is one of the more interesting in TV history. But one event changed ITV forever. Carlton Television's win of the London weekday franchise. But what if Carlton lost to incubent Thames Television? Would Carlton still go rampant on the ITV network and buy them one-by-one? Or would they give up their tv ambitions?
 
I'm sure Carlton would try and find a way to make a breakthrough in the ITV system - if not through London, then probably by gobbling up Central Independent Television (for example).
 
If it hadn't been Carlton that swallowed up everything south of the Humber it would have been somebody else (BSkyB/NewCorp, perhaps :eek:). Once the Tories made it possible for one company to own more than one regional ITV franchise that was it.
 
Top