ITV has failed to reach agreement on the employment terms of Tony Ball, the man who was offered the job of chief executive almost a month ago, with the board on Friday deciding to end negotiations with him.

According to people involved in the dramatic conclusion of a five-month process, ITV’s board finally fell out with Mr Ball when he expressed doubts about working with Sir Crispin Davis, the former chief executive of Reed Elsevier. The board was considering Sir Crispin as a leading candidate to become as non-executive chairman alongside Mr Ball.