The cue dot is a belt and braces backup. ITV transmission is very complex – two transmission centres each playing out their own ad breaks to the regions they serve and sending clean feeds of network programming to non ITV PLC regions and other external customers (e.g. TV3 Ireland takes Xfactor). If any of the comms circuits fail the cue dot is a godsend!

There are two cue dots, one is for the sponsor bumper and the other is for the ad break. Each one disappears 5 seconds before that particular item is due to roll.

Thanks for the reply! Do you know if the items are played out manually on the cue or is it detected and automated?

It’s not even a back up – on live programmes it is the primary method of communication.
Transmission actually ask not to have a verbal count to breaks now because the talkback will be out of sync with the programme.

On live programmes it’s all manual, with a human transmission controller.

I used to do that. (Or not. Sometimes I forgot.)

Think they are all manual after a couple of well publicised hickups during F.A. Cup coverage a couple of seasons ago. TV3 take a few other ITV progs as aired in the UK, Corrie being one of them.