Ad factor for ITV

The company, which is home to X Factor featuring Simon Cowell, above, and Coronation Street, said revenues rose 6 per cent to 450m in the first three months of the year, driven by an 8 per cent improvement in television ad sales.

This figure is expected to jump to 22 per cent in the current quarter due to the impact of the football World Cup.

Mr Crozier, who joined the company two weeks ago, said the performance should be seen in the context of record declines in 2009.

He said revenues were still below 2008 levels and warned the outlook for the latter part of 2010 and early 2011 looked tough because of more testing year-on-year comparatives and the uncertain market conditions.

The appointment of Mr Crozier ended a period of boardroom uncertainty at the business, which last year returned to annual profit with a 25m surplus after plunging into the red by 2.7bn in 2008.

Mr Crozier, who is the former boss of Royal Mail, said change was "imperative" at ITV due to the challenges facing the free-to-air market, which is under threat from digital media and regulation.