The deal takes in the music archives of Reuters, Granada and Channel 4 and ITN multimedia arm ITN On. Included are classic TV shows The Tube, The South Bank Show, Tony Wilson’s So it Goes and Mike Mansfield’s Supersonic.

Among the treasure trove is footage of the Sex Pistols, Madonna's and Ella Fitzgerald's first UK TV performances, as well as Michael Hutchence and Paula Yates meeting for the first time in a Tube interview.

The deal also includes up-to-date music news and interviews from ITN.