[DTV]

ITV News probably didn't want to copy the BBC as in 2013, BBC News moved out of Television Centre and into their new studio at BBC Broadcasting House, Studio E which was located in the newsroom of course - I guess ITV had knowledge of this in advance, and didn't want to copy the BBC in style of having a real newsroom set

I mean, the real reason it didn't happen is because I don't think it was considered. ITV had used VR sets for a decade or so, it made sense to continue with it - especially considering I doubt they expected the look to be as longevous as it has been.

Also, had ITV relaunched from a newsroom studio in 2013, it would have pre-empted the BBC's launch of Studio E by two months - so I'm not sure they'd have been seen as copying, although they would have indeed known about the BBC's plans (newsroom studios had been part of the NBH project since the beginning in 2001, though initially it was two mezzanine-level studios for the news channels).

I don't think the average viewers care if the set is real or not and it's worked fine for 20 years.

You are, of course, right that the average viewer wouldn't care, but, given that applies to about 95% of the stuff discussed on this forum, such a comment is ultimately unnecessary. I was merely stating a view that the 2013 set would have been easily replicable as a real set and would probably have looked better in the process.