ITV has frozen pay for its senior employees at a time of falling advertising revenues.

The broadcaster has told the board, senior leadership, and all employees earning over £60,000 a year they will not receive a pay rise this year.

It has also announced it will impose below inflation pay rises on full-time employees who earn more than £25,000.

Those earning between £25,001 and £40,000 will received 2.5% while those in the bracket £40,001 to £58,750 will receive a pay award of 2.1%.

Full-time employees earning between £58,750 and £59,999 will have their pay topped up to £60,000 under the plans.

Only those full-time employees earning below £25,000 will get a pay rise of 4.2%, which was the inflation rate in October.

In an email to staff announcing the changes, ITV said the pay award ensures that nearly 90% of employees will receive an increase in basic pay.

A spokesman for ITV said: "In this difficult and challenging climate we have had to give serious consideration to all spending and our pay bill is one of our biggest overall costs.

"ITV considered all the available options, including a blanket pay freeze across the entire company for the coming year, but the solution we arrived at will ensure that the vast majority of employees receive a pay increase."