I don't think anyone else has done a thread on this late-night block even recently, but I decided to create a thread on 4Later because the simple idea of a late night block for young adults and the youth could do well in the current generation, maybe a revival of the same presentation and idents?
I'm very skeptical about this as people are moving from the TV, but I was wondering what other people would feel with this idea.
Are we talking about the possible revival of what used to be referred to as "post-pub telly" from the days when people used to stagger home inebriated after 11pm on Friday nights and watch the late-night repeat of TFI Friday ... ?
There is no money to be made on late night television anymore. Not with the competition of hundreds of digital channels and on demand services. And needless to say advertisers won't pay for their adverts to be broadcast to seven viewers at crazy o' clock in the morning.
That's why the terrestrial channels opt for repeats, news or Roulette which will at least make a bit of money.
It was once a novelty, so much so it had its own branding and programmes. Nowadays, so many channels run for 24 hours, it's not special anymore. To echo previous posts, there's no money in it. That's why it was invented in the first place, because the suits reckoned where was money to be made from an audience who had nothing to watch once all the channels had closed down.
It's a shame, really. Looking back at some of the things ITV and Channel 4 got up to, I wish I'd been old enough (or alive) to witness it first hand. By the time I got to stay up until whenever I wanted, all that was on offer was just news and gambling.
C4 do at least still have scheduled programming over night - increasingly repeats from primetime but the odd film and random repeat in their too. I do wish they'd actually through a bit more of their Walters Presents content out overnight too - obviously it's intended as an All4 service but do think they could showcase some entire series overnight too rather than just airing the premiere on C4.
It was once a novelty, so much so it had its own branding and programmes. Nowadays, so many channels run for 24 hours, it's not special anymore. To echo previous posts, there's no money in it. That's why it was invented in the first place, because the suits reckoned where was money to be made from an audience who had nothing to watch once all the channels had closed down.
I'm not sure there ever was money in it.
The reason ITV had branding for it was mainly due to cross-regional presentation. Several companies were not bothered with it, the aforementioned Granada as well as Tyne Tees among other smaller companies who brought it in on a trial basis, and were ready to pull the plug. It was only the threat of a national night franchise that bounced some companies into action. TTT remained sceptical and stopped selling advertising after 2am within a couple of years, effectively just leaving the station unmanned after this time (NT fell off the air completely on at least one occasion and nothing was done about it until around an hour later).
