 Each franchise was originally owned by a different company, but after several mergers the fifteen regional franchises are held by two companies, ITV plc and STV Group.The ITV network is a separate entity from ITV plc, the company that resulted from the merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications in 2004.ITV plc holds the Channel 3 broadcasting licences for every region except central and northern Scotland, which are held by STV Group.