The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee said the channel should look to other factors to explain its dropping audiences.

Gerald Kaufman: Highlighted failure to keep up with technology

Committee Chairman Gerald Kaufman said: "The one channel not marching to the tune of technology is ITV and maybe that is why its audience is falling more steeply than the BBC."

ITV Chief Executive Richard Eyre had told the committee that moving News at Ten was integral to the channel's plans to boost ratings.

Mr Kaufman said: "It struck us that it was somewhat egregious of ITV to base the whole of its case not on the changes in the landscape of television, which are considerable but on the wish not to interrupt programmes starting at nine with the News at Ten."

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ITV want to replace its main evening news bulletin with an early evening bulletin at 5.40pm and a "high quality" 20-minute programme at 11pm.

This would allow it to show films starting at 9pm. At present many viewers turn off after News at Ten.

Mr Kaufman said there were two arguments as to why ITV had experienced dropping audience share.

"One is that ITV is being stultified by the rigidity of its schedule.

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"The other argument, which I think is borne out by the success of the BBC in retaining its audience, is that ITV could be regarded as being very old-fashioned.

"It could be much, much more imaginative in its scheduling if it wanted to be, rather than just putting more money into key programmes.

"It's still the most popular single channel, but it's lost its predominant lead over BBC One.

Mr Kaufman blamed this on the channel being "less forthcoming in response to technological change than practically everybody in the market".

He added: "The BBC has responded both by the quality of the programmes and its willingness to adapt itself to the new technological landscape.

In its report, the Culture Committee reminded ITV of the privileged place News at Ten enjoys in UK national life.

"It would appear that ITV is hoping to effect one of the most remarkable transformations in the nocturnal habits of the British people since the coming of electricity," it said.

The Independent Television Commission will now rule on the ITV bid to move its news bulletin.

The reports added: "It is, of course, open to ITV to seek to make a more convincing case to the ITC than it did in its evidence to this committee.

"However, on the basis of the evidence it presented in its prolonged appearance before this committee, ITV did not establish a case for abolishing the News at Ten and accordingly we recommend that the ITC rejects ITV's application to make this change."

ITV said: "We read the report with interest, but as the select committee pointed out the decision rests with the ITC."