[articles]ITV in the crapper

mike65

They seem to be caught in a fatal pincer movement, costs up revenue down, contracts that have to be honoured, pensions and property that could have been offloaded a couple of years ago for a handsome profit that now are marginal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/13/itv-finances-under-pressure

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/15/itv-sells-friends-reunited

Even talk of an emergency schedule of nothing but soaps and repeats (and CL/cup football one presumes)

medoc

mike65 wrote: »

Even talk of an emergency schedule of nothing but soaps and repeats (and CL/cup football one presumes)

A simulcast of TV3 without the football

watty

This is what happens when you dumb down a network to a common "british" denominator instead of regional creativity and dumb down all the content to Soaps, quizzes and Reality TV for a lowest Common denominator advertisers.

If they concentrated on quality, ignored the rubbish satellite channels the viewing figures and advertisers would look after themselves.

Also probably spread too thin over too many channels as BBC is.

AugustusMaximus

ITV has been going downhill for a long time.

The easiest comparison can be made when you compare Saturday night viewing from 15 years ago to today. Its fairly easy to tell which was the better.

Watty, you believe that a unified ITV has done the station great harm ? Certainly I miss all of the old idents.

Pat Gleeson

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Watty, you believe that a unified ITV has done the station great harm ? Certainly I miss all of the old idents.

I would certainly agree - a unified ITV is a huge mistake - a fact I suspect is slowly gaining currency at Granada and Carlton. Having dumped Chorus in '98 and not having ITV again until it went FTA the difference to me was huge and certainly not for the better - C4 take note you're going the same way - aim high and keep the smaller but ultimately higher value advertising revenue. The dumber you go the lesser brand loyalty you get.

Elmo

I think they have dumb down, but I am happy to see the end of Regional English TV.

The problem lies with not providing British TV from the "regions" not the removial of regional news, current affairs, light entertainment etc. Instead ITV has become ITV England and their motto is "Not too happy about that those scots and paddies".

The best drama from ITV was always their ITV Wide drama not their local opt-out programming which now seem to be the main stay of soap opera land.

In relation to TV3 (and local programming, have to tie it in somehow!). And of the topic. Just more of the same from me with TV3, but their so called "BBC" documentries are ones from BBC THREE, not as Highbrow as their PR people would like.

Back to ITV now. I am looking forward to Law & Order: London but TBH it shows a lack of imagination no real reason why it had to take on the franchise name. It will possibly be the only think on ITV that I watch this year.

Big mistake buying friends united a total panic over that internet thing thats going on.