ITV 2 in the 70s

I know it's all pure speculation now, but I wonder how different the UK television landscape would have been had the ITA and the television companies been successful in their lobbying to have the then "spare" UHF channels now allocated to Channel 4 given to them to operate an ITV 2 service. They were pressing for this in the very early 70s as they felt it was unfair that the BBC had two channels to their one and could run complementary schedules. Life without 4....discuss.

Wasn't it four that gave the uk reality television, with Bb, from endemol? If there wasn't a channel four, do you think that itv would have picked up on it, or if they had, be one of the last to do so (in the world), and perhaps it wouldn't have been as big-a-hit as it is at present. Perhaps we wouldn't have an itv full of reality, but then, who knows, maybe it would be more cluttered (if that's possible ). would there have been a 'channel 5' (albiet, perhaps with a different name, but it would be a fifth channel still, so it could still be called 'channel 5'). The channel landscape would be different I think.

It is a very interesting discussion thread. Interesting to watch develop I think.

I'm glad Channel 4 appeared because they've created some really good stuff over the years, and have pushed boundaries in many ways. They are probably the most youth orientated Channel on the terrestrial network, yet ITV still seem to be stuck in the house-wife bracket no matter how much they try to make it otherwise. If ITV2 had existed, i doubt it would of turned into what Channel 4 has become.

Well the BBC had Castaway, which was a reality show, but it went on for about a year i think.

Perhaps the BBC would have ran bb?!

C4 wasn't the only channel interested in Big Brother - and has offered a hell of alot more to the TV landscape than just Big Brother!


It may have not been ITV2 in name, but in the early days ITV companies provided alot of programming for C4, and to a lesser degree, they still do - most notably Countdown!

Actually C4 was in many ways 'ITV2' anyway. The ITV companies paid for its running, and in return they sold the advertising in each of their areas.
Complementary scheduling therefore was adopted, because neither ITV or C4 wanted to 'split' any audience. The relationship between ITV and C4 was very similar to that between BBC 1 and 2 . There was substantial cross promotion between the two channels too, and sports coverage was shared, in the same way it is between BBC1 and 2. Notably Athletics, the 1988 Olympics, and Horse Racing.

All of that got thrown away on January 1st 1993, when C4 started to sell its own advertising, and therefore competed against ITV. There was still a 'safety net' of money from ITV should C4 fail to break even, but this was abolished in 1998 ISTR ?

If "ITV 2" had started in, say 1975 or 76, would it not have been a very different animal to Channel 4? Also would, for instance, much of the "serious" programming still very evident on ITV until much later, not have been shunted onto the sister channel?

I have an old tape of Coronation Street from 8th January 1993, and after the episode the YTV announcer told us what was coming up on Channel 4 shortly, before telling us The Bill was next here on YTV.

Yes, I seem to recall now that the cross promotion bit fizzled along after Jan 1993 for a while. Might have been some contractual requirement connected with the safety net ?

I know on Central they always promoted Channel 4 News in their ident at 7pm, and I think I've seen something on one of the archive sites where Channel 4 Daily was promoted at the end of News at Ten as the next bulletin from ITN.


Talking of Central, I always thought in the cake era of the early 90s that the branding of Central and C4 were very well linked, though not officially of course!

I remember cross promotion on ITV and C4 as late as about 1997/1998