ITV 'gave bonuses' for phone-in success?

ITV may have given production staff incentives to increase revenue from premium-rate phone-ins, insiders have claimed.

The broadcaster has declined to comment on allegations that senior executives encouraged a culture of making as much from phone and text votes as possible.

An insider told MediaGuardian production staff were given bonuses if revenue increased and advised on how to push them up.

A production source said it was "highly likely that staff were incentivised".

One source said Ian McCulloch, former ITV commercial director, and John Cresswell, finance director, gave presentations on how to make more from the phone-ins.

He added: "The model they gave was GMTV, who are now of course, in disgrace."

It follows a succession of revelations about phone-ins being run wrongly and taking money they should not have.