ITV News

I had no idea Andrew Burt had died. I was watching him on Friday night in an episode of The Gentle Touch on Talking Pictures TV, sadly portraying a rather poorly written character. No longer from the headquarters/studios of ITN. RIP.

I'm going to add my two pennies' worth into this debate, and say that I actually find the current fake newsroom backdrop quite creepy; the obviously-CGI empty chairs bug me particularly, especially in HD.

However, if they are to continue with that style of backdrop, I think that it could be greatly improved by taking some inspiration from foreign networks. For example, VTM in Belgium had a refresh recently: their new look makes heavy use of a virtual newsroom, which looks far more realistic than ITV's current backdrop: crucially, VTM's virtual newsroom backdrop features real people green-screened in, which I think is the key to making it look more like an actual newsroom, and less like something that's been abandoned after an apocalypse. Anyway, you can see it all in the video below:



Of course, if I had any say in things, we'd have the London skyline brought back, for News at Ten if nothing else. Still, we wouldn't want to be accused of being London-centric, would we?



I reckon we could have a whole other discussion about this. As I've said in other threads, I do think we are far too conservative where news pres is concerned. The rest of the continent is innovating, but we just seem to be stuck in a rut. My pet theory is that after the perhaps OTT innovations and gimmicks we saw everywhere in the mid-2000s, the powers that be have been scared to rock the boat too much, out of fear of losing viewers; meanwhile, said gimmicks were never really (to my knowledge) a thing on the continent, hence why broadcasters there are less afraid to innovate.

I'm inclined to agree with you about tie current ITV News backdrop. It does look slightly creepy (spooky even). Just to clarify, it is actually a pre-recorded loop showing ITN MCR - rather than the ITV News Room (albeit deserted).

And the VTM rebrand looks terrific. They've implemented really well. Was it done in-house?

It was done by French design agency Gédéon who also did a rebrand for the rest of the channel as well as the news (note the refreshed logo). Gédéon also did some stuff for France Télévisions in the past

Well I suppose I must be the only one here who finds the VTM backdrop 'creepy' and ITV's positively delightful

In terms of branding and journalism, ITV News is the possibly the strongest it's been in years. The general look of the bulletins still seems fresh and doesn't really need tinkering with. Having said all that, I do feel News at Ten could benefit from a more distinctive, standalone look than at present - perhaps replacing the backdrop entirely with the nighttime view of London/Big Ben clockface as before. Clearly there are efforts made to mark it out as the flagship, but it still doesn't have the authority of previous NAT looks.

They lose authority by moving the bulletin now and again, with tonight a prime example, with the ITV News London presenter this evening reminding us that News at Ten will be on later at 10.30pm tonight, just to squeeze in a festive edition of Long Lost Family. I really wonder how that programme deserved a 90 minute slot for their festive special?

I don’t think viewers care as much about this as you think. We are no longer in a world where viewers expect a news bulletin at 10pm without fail. People don’t necessarily structure their routines around the tv schedule like they may have once done.

Not sure I agree.

Yes, audiences can access news on-demand and via platforms of their choosing, but I think we sometimes underestimate the value certain viewers place on being able to tune into a bulletin at a set time.

The BBC does occasionally move the 10 but nowhere near as much as ITV does. And although this clearly isn't the only reason viewers demonstrate a preference for BBC News over ITV News, I do think it must play a part?

It depends what you're moving it for, I think. I think it's fine for ITV to move it this week, because while it's a normal working day for most people, it is ostensibly Christmas and people expect that kind of thing to happen at this time of year - hence why it seems OK that the Beeb are moving the news on 3rd January to fit in the extended 'stEnders. And I think it's fine to move it if you've got a really big event that justifies it. Going on late after I'm A Celebrity is OK because it's a major show and the news also benefits from its big lead-in.

What doesn't help is when ITV move it for some workaday light entertainment show that could go in any slot on any day, and it seems so inconsistent. I think audiences can accept that the news is going to be on late when it follows the Brits or the NTAs or the final of I'm A Celebrity. They don't accept it when it's delayed for some nondescript show with Olly Murs or something.

ITV News often performs better than the BBC if it is moved to 10:30 for a highly-rated 9pm. I’m a Celebrity being the perfect example.

To me that indicates that moving the news isn’t doing lots to damage reputation.

Yes - but that suggests that the BBC News at 2200 is up against one of the most popular shows in the UK (so would expect reduced figures), and the following ITV News inherits that incredibly high audience AND is facing a far-weaker post-2230 competition on BBC One that is hardly ratings gold (so would expect increased figures).

If ITV move their late news round, then they should rename it and dump the News at Ten branding. Return it to the Nightly News or Late News, which would give the bulletin flexibility.