"Of course, Granada shouldn't take all the blame for what happened to ITV Digital - just half of it," he told delegates yesterday.
In a clear reference to the departure of the ITV Digital chief executive, Stewart Prebble, in the immediate aftermath of the venture's collapse, he added: "We are living in funny times - in the old days, if they lost an awful lot of their shareholders' money, generals fell on their swords.
"These days it's much more common for the generals to award themselves more share options while thrusting their swords into trusted lieutenants."
He also said he wanted ITV Digital to be replaced by a free-to-air service.
The BBC is currently in talks with commercial channels about a joint free-to-air service, but so far no agreement has been reached.
