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(ITV) Merit

Launches 29th July. Split from ITV Programming Thread (July 2020)

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MO
Mockah
On satellite, straight after midnight (and a couple of minutes of the Merit filler) the feed went black and the Citv DOG reappeared.

So Merit's running off the downtime hours of CITV?


Correct.
MO
Mockah


For those with an ear for picking up familiar sounds, the break sting from the programme uses the exact same audio as The X Factor.


Do you mind if I post this on Youtube?
GO
gottago
placeholder or not, it's still going to launch as an actual channel and likely have actual adverts on it.

What makes you think it'll have adverts? I can't imagine advertisers lining up for this, at most they'll give it away as a crap freebie to clients of ITV's other channels.

Transmission capacity isn't free, playout services aren't free, programme schedulers aren't free, graphic design isn't free, and broadcast rights aren't free. I was expecting at least some attempt at recouping some costs with ads - but it appears I'm wrong!
Looks like they're spending as little as possible on it with the hope of recouping the costs when the slot is sold.

I'm assuming that the rules don't permit an EPG number to change hands on its own, and there needs to be a channel that goes along with it?

As I said earlier I don't think they'd be doing this if they didn't already have a deal in place so I expect all of those costs have been covered.

Yes the channel must change hands for this whole process to work.
thegeek and Interceptor gave kudos
IN
Interceptor
placeholder or not, it's still going to launch as an actual channel and likely have actual adverts on it.

What makes you think it'll have adverts? I can't imagine advertisers lining up for this, at most they'll give it away as a crap freebie to clients of ITV's other channels.

Transmission capacity isn't free, playout services aren't free, programme schedulers aren't free, graphic design isn't free, and broadcast rights aren't free. I was expecting at least some attempt at recouping some costs with ads - but it appears I'm wrong!
Looks like they're spending as little as possible on it with the hope of recouping the costs when the slot is sold.

I'm assuming that the rules don't permit an EPG number to change hands on its own, and there needs to be a channel that goes along with it?

The aim of the channel isn't to get an audience (in its current form), so how could they possibly market it?
PF
PFML84
Couldn't watch the launch but I did tune in CITV on my TV through satellite and Merit was there, showing an animation loop and then quickly to a black screen before the DOG faded off and a CITV one quickly appeared in its place. I wonder if we will ever see a trailer for a programme or an endboard/slide? Probably not, this is probably the most low-budget low-key launch of a channel ever.
:-(
A former member
Someone remind me how all these contrived moves and rules best serve the viewer again?
MO
Mockah
This channel reminds me of Granada Breeze and the Carlton Food Network. Anybody else?
DM
DeMarkay


For those with an ear for picking up familiar sounds, the break sting from the programme uses the exact same audio as The X Factor.


Do you mind if I post this on Youtube?


Ask Asa, it’s his video.
ST
Stuart
This channel reminds me of Granada Breeze and the Carlton Food Network. Anybody else?

Granada Breeze and CFN were supposed to be profit-making channels for ONdigital/ITVdigital. I believe Granada even build a new studio for Breeze which was in the lot next to Corrie and had views onto a 'garden' of sorts.
JE
Jez Founding member
This channel reminds me of Granada Breeze and the Carlton Food Network. Anybody else?

Granada Breeze and CFN were supposed to be profit-making channels for ONdigital/ITVdigital. I believe Granada even build a new studio for Breeze which was in the lot next to Corrie and had views onto a 'garden' of sorts.

They used the former Granada Breeze studio as a café and waiting area for the Corrie tours from 2014-15!
JA
james-2001
Jez posted:
This channel reminds me of Granada Breeze and the Carlton Food Network. Anybody else?

Granada Breeze and CFN were supposed to be profit-making channels for ONdigital/ITVdigital. I believe Granada even build a new studio for Breeze which was in the lot next to Corrie and had views onto a 'garden' of sorts.

They used the former Granada Breeze studio as a café and waiting area for the Corrie tours from 2014-15!


Yep, and it still had much of the soundproofing on the walls and lighting rigs!

The days of non-terrestrial channels making the amount of original programming they did in the 90s and early 00s, to the point channels had their own studios, seems unthinable now.
BR
Brekkie
A quick thought that may or may not be relevant:

Before BBC3 completely ceased broadcasting as a linear channel - and after its promoted-as 'last night' - it screened about three hours of repeat programming from about 2am every day IIRC for about a month-and-a-half. At the time, I read somewhere it was a requirement or something for any channel to air at least three hours of programming or something during a given day to keep the license to stay on air - or something to that effect (I believe it remained on the EPG during that time basically to aid viewers in the brand's transition to online only). I think that reinforces our consensus Merit's a placeholder.

If we're in luck we'll get ratings for it. Looking forward to a sea of asterisks in its BARB report(!)

That was a condition related to a place on the Sky EPG rather than anything to do with Freeview (who let channels air for an hour overnight) or BARB.

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