Institutions

To fully understand television crime drama, you should understand that undustry behind the programmes. Producing and broadcasting a television crime drama is a highly technical process that requires a vast array of resources and equipment. Programmes have to be written, filmed, edited and involve hundreds of people in the production process.
For this reason, broadcasting has tended to be done by large media corporations who have those resources. Let's look at some of the major television instituations and their contribution to crime drama.

Terrestrial channels

BBC
The Broadcasting Corporation provides public service broadcasting to the United Kingdom. It is the largest broadcaster in the world as is funded by a licence fee that raises about 3 billion pounds a year. Unlike commercial television, it doesn't rely on advertising revenues, but operations under the public broadcasting remit to 'educate, inform and entertain'. In terms of crime drame, the BBC has been responsible for the production of a wide range of successful shows, as well as importing a number of American crime dramas.
Recent BBC productions have included;
New Tricks, Inspector George Gently, Wallander, Waking the Dead, Sherlock, Five Days, Criminal Justice and Luther.

ITV
The ITV channels - in particular ITV1 and ITV3 - show a wide range of crime dramas, including the recently cancelled and long-running The Bill. Classic crime examples include Foyle's War, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Maigret, Miss Marple Inspector Morse and A Touch of Frost.
ITV also has an interest in new crime drama, commissioned from the UK, such as Identity, Whitechapel, DCI Banks: Aftermath, Law and Order: UK, Murderland and also those acquired abroad eg Numb3rs.
ITV also hosts the Crime Thriller Awards on ITV3, which includes the People's Detective, where ITV3 viewers vote for their favourite. In 2010, the winner was Foyle from Foyle's War.

Channel 4 and More 4
Channel 4 shows some crime dramas, few of which attract vast audiences. Some, however, have been critically acclaimed a attract niche audiences eg Without a Trace, Southland and The Closer.

Five and Five USA
Five and its sisiter channel Five USA are well known for their raft of US crime dramas. These channels were taken over by new owner, Richard Desmond is 2010. He has said that his channels will continue to give priority to this genre, although this may change in the moblie media world. Programmes include: True Justice, Justified, the CSI franchise, The Mentalist, Law and Order and Dark Blue.