UTV - What a disappointment

Hagar

After all the fuss about getting UTV on Sky I have to say I am very disappointed in the content.
I don't remember the channel being this bad.
It is full of "I'm a celebrity" shyte.
There hasn't been a single program on since they went FTA that I would watch.
I am hopeing for a bit of variety regarding choice of matches to watch on Champions League.
Other than that, thumbs down.

I would swap all four ITVs for one Channel 4.

Julesie

Totally agree with you... In fact i never really missed ITV because TV3 aired about 90% of its prime time shows anyway. I do really miss Channel 4 as they have had some truely great shows over the years.

Mossy Monk

ITV hasnt been good in a long time but Channel 4 isnt that great atm either imo

Ulsterman 1690

ITV have gone down the pan in the last 15 years and sadly Channel 4 have started to join them. The rot started with the 1990 Broadcasting act and the emergence of Carlton IMNSHO :mad:

DMC

Yep, this fragmentation in recent years of more channels aimed at identified separate audiences, has been to the detriment of the main ITV channel. It is happening to Channel 4 too.

Independent Television died on 31st December 1992.

Also, strangling the golden geese that are Emmerdale and Corrie until you want to choke them, by having them on 6/7 or 5/7, is horrendous. Now, they are as sensational and wacky as the Aussie soaps which started the trend over here for every day soaps.

Public service broadcasting, which ITV must subscribe to still, even more so Channel 4, isn't the same when you have spin-off channels. A person can watch all of Channel 4's entertainment programming on E4 and not watch a single documentary on more4. When you widen the choice, you don't exactly widen the interest.

As for UTV, of course it takes all the ITV network stuff, the content they provide is not for me, but, what makes UTV still interesting is that they still remain independent, like Scottish/Grampian and Channel, so they still hold onto their unique regional on-screen identity as well as idents. ITV still have remnants of their federal past, which, in my opinion, was their strongest point. You may not like UTV's look, but its a damn sight better than the networked ITV1 presentation.

Gargantuan

I agree UTV/ITV1 are not the best , although ITV2 is a pretty good channel lots of good movies.
I think the only saving grace for ITV 1 is the Champions league..

Capt'n Midnight

Yeah - UTV is one of the better ITN regions - just add it to other channels

byte

Good post DMC! I agree with you.

Do you think the demise of the main commercial channels is not helped by the nowadays readily available multi-channel platforms, which bite at their revenue stream, causing ITV, C4, etc to cut costs?

Or is it just all about making loads of money, with little effort or content?

DMC

Well, I'd like to see the math as to exactly how many people were watching TV in the UK in 1980 and now 25 years on.

If the total available viewing audience is the same, then, we can see what channels the audience is watching, as Corrie can't muster 10 million anymore.

Also, you can add that a lot of people have died in that time, and their viewing habits are not the same as those young 'uns who have come on since.

To what level does Corrie's audience have to drop before the advertisers turn their back on the soap in such a way that can cause ITV to ponder on its future?

The main commerical terrestrials know that a general variety channel isnt what the multi-channel viewer is watching, so they think that the best way is "if you can't beat them, join them". So you have ITV2 for women, ITV3 for over-40's / drama and ITV4 for under-35 males. All of which dont feature too much first-run home produced programming. Channel 4, with E4 and more4, are making first run stuff, but not as much as when E4 first launched. Also, the amount of spin-off shows from the main channel (BBLB, xtra factor) shows no imagination.

In reality, audience share is king, and if they can defray the main channel's woes with a look at how the new channels are performing. Bit of a cop out, IMHO. Spend money on programmes worth watching.

ffocused

since the dawn of true multichannel tv all the terrestrial channels have gone downhill. ITV4 is the best of the ITV channels, Kojak, Homicide LOTS, football, Traffic etc. It is actually the second most used channel on my sky+.
On my UK freesat box Channel 5 is the best channel. CSI, Shield, Law+Order and movies. The best stuff fron Channel 4 is repeated on E4 or even shown beforehand. Ghost Squad at the moment and it was the same last year with Line Of Fire.

To sum up, we all aspire to have what we cannot get, and with TV channels are largly dissapointed. ABC1 anyone?

swingking

this may sound like a stupid question but how exactly do you get the itv channels or are they there

DMC

Top Sticky on the main Satellite forum page....

norbert64

uhmmz, what were you xpecting after ITV1/UTV going FTA, AFAIK it's the same rubbish channel, just on the Sky platform

swingking wrote:

this may sound like a stupid question but how exactly do you get the itv channels or are they there

yep, do as DMC suggests.

it's not on the EPG yet, (not sure, if it ever will be) but just add it as the 1st channel in your ''Add Channels'' list, for easy access.

DMC

Yep, if its the first channel on your "other channels" list, its only 3 button presses, like a normal channel number.

Press Services, 6, and Select.
(Services, 8 and Select on Sky+)

MisterAnarchy

The only 2 shows worth watching on ITV1 are 'Who Wants to be a millionaire' and 'The Champions League'.
The rest of their programming is woeful tripe.

barrera

Hagar wrote:

After all the fuss about getting UTV on Sky I have to say I am very disappointed in the content.
I don't remember the channel being this bad.
It is full of "I'm a celebrity" shyte.
There hasn't been a single program on since they went FTA that I would watch.
I am hopeing for a bit of variety regarding choice of matches to watch on Champions League.
Other than that, thumbs down.

I would swap all four ITVs for one Channel 4.

Haven't u been watching TV3?! :eek:

ITV is a truly useless channel. The only thing worth watching is Champions League when the alternative is TV3.

At least with Channel 4, what quality there is will be on More4 or E4 +/- 1 week.

As for abc1, which someone referred to, their programme presentation is awful. I was watching Moonlighting last week (showing my age and my questionable taste) - the classic "Sam and Dave" 4-episode saga just before they jumped the shark - and it's like watching TV in the US. Ad breaks just after opening credits and just before the finale. And totally sanitised as well - it was being aired at midnight, and they edited out a "bitch bastard" exchange.

ITV used to do that a lot to films in particular, making them unwatchable.

Richard

DMC wrote:

You may not like UTV's look, but its a damn sight better than the networked ITV1 presentation.

UTV is only better than ITV1 presentation because of its regionality. In a side-by-side comparison, ITV1 wins hands down. UTV's idents may be wonderfully scenic and all, but they do look amateurish. SMG's are dated (they still show the Davina McCall one the last I looked). Channel's are scenic like UTV's, but I can't help thinking that they look more slick down there.

(This is all IMHO, btw)

I do wish that there was more regionality in England, however. Even with joint voiceovers, it is still possible to have some regional identifcation.

mickd

Totally agree with the views on this thread only channel 4 do have some great documenteries e.g the psycho series, when the moors ruled europe,dispatches, etc. At least ITV unlike TV3 doesn't charge for their cack.

Channel 4 for FTA!! we can hope

byte

How does TV3 charge for their cack?

Mossy Monk

my guess is they charge Sky viewers.

that is incorrect as it is Sky charging viewers

as for C4 being FTA, not a hope until they are finished with the encryption contract in 2008. and then Channel 4 would actually want to go FTA

DMC

Richard wrote:

(This is all IMHO, btw)

I do wish that there was more regionality in England, however. Even with joint voiceovers, it is still possible to have some regional identifcation.

I knew you wouldn't agree

For me, the idents on ITV1 are very boring. Clouds and boxes revolving. Cuts and links might be slick, but overall presentation, weak, imo. Even though we slagged off the "hearts" idents at the time, Richard, I'd take them back just to have the Yorkshire chevron or the north point G of Granada back on display.

Richard wrote:

Channel's are scenic like UTV's, but I can't help thinking that they look more slick down there.

They don't look too hot on satellite, thats for sure!

bk

Mossy Monk wrote:

and then Channel 4 would actually want to go FTA

Yes, IMO they want to go FTA very badly. Freeview has been a major success for them. Now BBC/ITV are building a Freesat platform similiar to Freeview, C4 will want on this platform also.

robert muldoon

Hagar wrote:

After all the fuss about getting UTV on Sky I have to say I am very disappointed in the content.


The only thing I watch on ITV outside TV3 is their drama series on usually from Sunday - tuesday which can be very good viewing

Widescreen

Hi Lads,

Can I just say I'm disappointed at the non stop whinging(hope thats spelt right!) about UTV,ITV1 et AL. Can we not just realise how well off we have become in the past 2-3 years for channels we thought we'd never get! Just imagine if the 08 Message came up tonight for all these channels-- how would we all feel? S***E is my guess.Lets be more positive, mmm now which Champions League match will I watch tonight??? Trevor Squelch-- i don't need you anymore:D

seano

Widescreen wrote:

Hi Lads,

Can I just say I'm disappointed at the non stop whinging(hope thats spelt right!) about UTV,ITV1 et AL. Can we not just realise how well off we have become in the past 2-3 years for channels we thought we'd never get! Just imagine if the 08 Message came up tonight for all these channels-- how would we all feel? S***E is my guess.Lets be more positivee:D

Here here !!

Mossy Monk

anyone who really wanted them would have gotten a FTV card

Richard

DMC wrote:

Even though we slagged off the "hearts" idents at the time, Richard, I'd take them back just to have the Yorkshire chevron or the north point G of Granada back on display.

Oh - true - at least there was *some* local identity. Here I am, living in Granadaland and you wouldn't know it! I probably see "Granada" on the side of the building more than I do on a TV!

And my personal, favourite ident of all-time is the 2001-2 Carltonised HTV pre-news ident.

They don't look too hot on satellite, thats for sure!

Well - yes, that's because they don't have two brass farthings to rub together to buy decent equipment!