Battle for ITV Border Scotland services

I'm sure some of the below could be repeats




Interestingly Border Scotland also has a Simply Gardening filler at 2335 on Tuesdays until rejoining the network schedule at 2350 - is that an ITV Wales show?


And while I guess it wont happen, would be nice to see Border Life airing on Border England (and to non-freeview viewers in Scotland). Despite being produced for Scottish viewers I guess it may still appeal to English viewers as well in an off-peak slot

You have to wonder if it would be cheaper just to broadcast Scotland tonight.

God what is the point in putting these shows when most of the target audience will be asleep! A Sunday afternoon slot would be much better.

Especially when resources are said to be limited...ITV should just screen/help produce Scotland Tonight instead. We know the big vote is important but for such a small audience?

It's typical of ITV to screen this sort of programming so late too (STV's Scotland Tonight is late enough in it's own right). Like all their Regional Political programming it's on when no one is watching...if done right most Region's monthly political programming could be merged into two 10 minute weekly slots within the 6pm News programme, attracting a higher audience.

"It's 6 o'clock and therefore time for the News and Current Affairs in your part of the World. You're watching ITV".

I think they would be better off airing the shows in the Tonight slot. I doubt it will be sorely missed for a few weeks.

The Representing Border show sounds like a new one - Peter MacMahon was poached from The Scotsman to become Border's political editor. So it sounds like this will go out instead of simply picking up Scotland Tonight.

That seems an odd decision, given the incredibly small region of Border Scotland (especially as it only includes Freeview viewers) and that a perfectly good political show exists produced by STV which Ofcom would have been perfectly happy with Border lifting.

But it presumably comes down to branding. ITV was desperate to reduce its regional commitments until an idea was hatched for outside contractors to provide local news in the regions to be funded separately. It wasn't a fan of this as it wouldn't have retained control over the all-important branding of the show to make it fit with the rest of the channel, never mind the fact it would have had no control over the quality or otherwise of the show.

It's hard to imagine that STV would have changed much to allow Border to take Scotland Tonight. So this would caused problems with timings - STV shows regional weather rather than national right after News at Ten, incorporates the regional news later in the show rather than showing it right after the News at Ten. The STV web address and Twitter is dominant throughout the show. It would be STV's presenters and presumably STV would show as little regard to naming the channel in promotions (referring to 'on STV') as ITV News did on Hogmanay when it referred to the news being at 11.45pm, despite the fact it would be shown in STV-land at 11.15pm.

Given all these little glitches it probably seemed tidier just to do the thing in-house, taking STV for any referendum specials to keep the politicians with a vested interest happy.

People in Borderland will benefit from a very focused service that covers a very small region. However it will be shunted all over the schedule as necessary it is not a priority for ITV. It's also hard to see top guests queueing to come on air given the competition posed by Scotland Tonight and Newsnight Scotland at 11pm. It's all a token gesture - do the bare minimum required to keep the watchdog and politicians happy (Border Life being a key giveaway, as it sounds like a sub-1980s around the region timefiller produced to fulfil regional quota by the news team).

I don't know if STV actually makes any money from Scotland Tonight or whether it's put together simply to enhance the brand among opinion formers. Either way ITV seems content that its brand is strong enough nationally without having to produce this style of programming, so therefore it's not as important to them. And if it's right, then producing loss-making regional programming will never be its priority and will therefore be done in-house for as little as possible, while not getting in the way of important peak-time programming which gains viewers and causing as little disruption to the network schedule as possible. They'll be on late at night daily to fulfil a minimum amount of hours required and to avoid having to move programmes about where possible. I'd still put money on a playout disaster at some point in the first week though.

Incidentally, will the programmes ditched by Border Scotland be rescheduled anywhere, or will these viewers just lose out on the network offerings?

EDIT: Border Life appears to be on at 8pm on Monday in Border Scotland, with the displaced show on after Representing Border on Tuesday night. I assume any gap between opt-out and returning to network will be filled the same way. Without any advertising, however, it's unlikely viewers would find them.

'Small area of Border Scotland'. Even smaller when they won't F**king put it on satellite. so handful of freeview viewers only are going to see any of this

A lot of trailers for Representing Border and Border Life on Lookaround tonight - even though we can see neither in Cumbria. They also did a fairly substantial piece with Peter MacMahon from Holyrood (although that was almost another trailer for Representing Border).

Sounds like all three editions of that are live (or at least new rather than repeats). And to quote "every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday while Parliament is sitting").

First edition is online here:
http://www.itv.com/news/border/story/2014-01-07/representing-border/

First impressions (which may be unfair as it's only the first edition):
* That theme tune sounds very familiar - Scotland Tonight anyone?
* It's a lot drier and more conventional than its STV rival, so I suspect less likely to get a casual audience.

Having said that, it is covering a far smaller area and will have the more limited resources to boot.

Yeah that's the Scotland Tonight music without a shadow of a doubt...

Since the music is on emi music library then any one can use it.

I'm assuming they've decided to use the music as they'll probably continue to take the Scotland Tonight head-to-head debates - as they did in 2013. The debate shows aren't branded as STV and IIRC Scotland Tonight almost 'opted in' and out of the previous show. My thoughts on the show - it had the political substance required but it desperately needs some 'TV' in there. It's missing the personality of Scotland Tonight.