ITVboard is split over Ball pay demands
TONY Ball is said to be seeking a package worth up to £20m as chief executive of ITV, should he manage to bring the company’s share price back to health.
But the boardroom is understood to be split over the terms of the deal, which is expected to include the ex-BSkyB boss putting some of his own money into the ailing commercial broadcaster.
The £20m incentive to turn the broadcaster around is said to be contentious, with some board members feeling that Ball is worth such a deal, but others calling for a more frugal approach in hard times.
The chair of the board’s remuneration committee, Baroness Prashar, is believed to be against agreeing the bumper package.
But ITV shareholders, including Aviva and Legal & General, are becoming increasingly frustrated with the slow progress in appointing a replacement for Sir Michael Grade, who will step down as chief executive, but remain as chairman, later this year.
ITV’s shares have more than doubled in the past six months, but are still over 50 per cent lower than they were three years ago.
The broadcaster is understood to have offered the top job to Ball last week, though negotiations are said to have since stalled.
Another contentious element of the talks is thought to be the future of Grade, of whom Ball has been a vocal critic in the past.