ITV hopes to follow its resurrection of Primeval with more innovative drama funding deals designed to squeeze the most from its reduced budget.

Speaking at the launch of forthcoming stripped drama Collision, ITV director of TV, channels and online Peter Fincham said the recession meant broadcasters needed to find creative solutions and “box clever and cut our cloth in different ways”.

Primeval will return for two series in 2011 after indie Impossible Pictures pulled together a funding package for the show involving BBC America, UKTV and German broadcaster ProSieben.

Fincham said: “I don’t think all drama will be funded this way, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of it. It’s a reality of a world in which it’s challenging for broadcasters to fully fund drama.”

Asked whether this kind of deal could help secure the future of shows such as Heartbeat or The Royal, Fincham said: “There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but we are always open to imaginative deals from suppliers.”

Fincham also criticised the head to head between The X Factor and BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, claiming the BBC was “more concerned about ratings than ITV”.

He said the BBC was more competitive because it “spends without seeking a return on investment”, and that ratings were one of the ways it could measure success, as opposed to ITV’s focus on return on investment. “It’s a different gauge,” he said.

He also reiterated ITV’s decision not to move The X Factor.

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