Negotiations between the board of ITV and Tony Ball, the man it favours as its next chief executive, are expected to conclude in the next 48 hours as both sides decide whether an incentivisation plan can be mutually agreed or not.

Representatives for both parties have already reached an agreement about basic salary and bonuses, but Mr Ball, the former chief executive of BSkyB, believes he should have a deal involving share options that could bring him about £20m ($32m) during five years, if he were to attain performance targets.