[denton]

Just because ITV usually cuts to black doesn't mean a fade to black is a fault.

ITV does occasionally use a fade rather than cut to black.

It's worth noting that the cut to black following promotions and idents are only there for the benefit of STV. ITV Pres don't insert them on junctions in to programmes that STV aren't taking, or on the other ITV channels.

There's a small delay on the network feed in to STV, so the black 'event' provides a clean in point for STV TX without a flash of the network (ITV branded) ident/promotion making it to air.

However these days the feeds out of ITV all go over an IP network with a delay of only a few frames, which they recently migrated to an enhanced network called "Meganet". Since then Pres have started using fades to black, presumably as they're deemed safe now and look slightly nicer.

The exception to this is the junction during the Lorraine show where STV leave the "dirty" ITV branded feed and switch back to STV branded output. That feed is delayed by an additional couple seconds as it leaves ITV Pres further down the playout chain, so they cut to black with a long pregnant pause to allow STV to cleanly switch feeds and effectively jump back a couple seconds.

It's years since I've watched STV. 

Presumably the ITV feed to them is clean of announcer and credit squeeze so that STV can add their own credit squeezes and voiceovers. 

So why don't ITV just go the whole hog and provide a programmes-only clean feed to STV instead? It's not that difficult to achieve, BBC One and Two network provide a programmes-only clean feed for the Nations and it works very well.

Is there some benefit to ITV in that feed having promos and idents on it?