UTV sell TV business to ITV

As an aside I saw the same thing when I switched to STV at 6.30 - clearly they were switching between standard STV and the HD service and making a pigs ear of it - the colour/brightness levels weren't matched properly and again the sync between the two was way off.

Which feed were you watching? Glasgow is deffo HD, but Edinburgh and north is SD.

Not sure. There was only one feed I could find that was HD, and they were advertising programmes on STV Glasgow, so I'd imagine it was Glasgow. The general look of the station was good though-much better than either ITV or ITV.

On the subject of UTVs less than delightful temporary virtual set, I do recall a few years ago that Tyne Tees ran a few bulletins in a dimly lit newsroom while the new ITV set was going in - and that was only a change of lighting. Pathetic really when they had two identical studios to play with.

But they are only using what UTV had available, so it does indeed highlight the awfulness of the UTV brand this past while. Don't worry, it'll be gone soon...

Which is worse -- one of the smallest ITV regions (UTV) coming up with a slightly sad chromakey 'set' for a week, or a considerably larger constituent part of the ITV system (Tyne Tees/Border) running bulletins 1980s-style sat on a desk, with poor lighting, when they had two identical studios to work with and could easily have used the dormant one?

You're going to regret the ITV takeover in the next few years -- they'll make an independent UTV look like a paragon of local commitment. 'Enjoy' UTV while you still can -- ITV are going to dismantle everything, piece by piece, until you have nothing left.

I can't help but feel this ITV bashing is so 2005.

ITV Cymru Wales has continued a pretty decent existence, and one far more stable than it had during the 90s.

I don't want anything of UTV to remain on screen. I don't even want the name to stay. I want it all to go. I'd happily watch an ITV branded channel with no local content whatsoever. I guarantee you, I most certainly will not be regretting this takeover in the future. I wish it had happened a lot sooner!

Who's bashing ITV? It's a discussion of various different opinions.

In what way is it more stable than the 90's?

I think there'd be far more that would disagree with you on that.

That is an extremely selfish attitude. If you don't wish to see local content that's fine, but to wish that on others in NI -- well, at least you're honest in that regard.

ITV will get rid of remaining local content across the country as soon as it is able to. One of the main reasons it has been prevented from doing so to date is the remaining plurality of companies within the network -- take those away and ITV will simply be able to brush away any remaining objections.

As for this being 'so 2005', the only difference now is that ITV have already shut up shop, to all intents and purposes, across England, so of course complaint will die down -- the deed is done.

It's simply my opinion, that's all. I do not like UTV and am glad to see the back of it in due course, with a temporary adaption of it in the interim. I'm allowed to not like it just as much as others are allowed to like it and want it to stay.

Maybe, but then again that's just how I feel. I'm quite sure there are others that feel the same too.