ITV Discussion Thread

ITV's sold its stake in a 'spectrum managament firm'. I guess they manage spectrum? They've raised a whopping... £1 million. Every little helps I suppose.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/18/itv-sells-stake-jfmg

Is there a list anywhere with all of ITV's non-core assests from recent years? It's got TV3, Channel Seven, Carlton Books and Granada Learning in that article. Then of course there was Granada Sky Broadcasting and those various stakes in football clubs (or their websites). And they've still got Men & Motors (why?!), that Middle Eastern UKTV channel, Carlton Screen Advertising (is it still called that?), the German, American and Australian Granada production companies and Friends Reunited. Any others?

EDIT: Just thought of Price Terrier and Scoot as well.

Basically ITV are cheaper running it and then closing or selling it apparently. If M&M was sold off then BSkyB would recieve 49% of the sale, as that was agreed when Granada Sky was dissolved in 2004. Although it's top programme must be only get 40,50K in the ratings, thats not bad for a channel thats been binned off down the EPG in the last few years.



Yep, even still using the red hot star poker thing as it's ident. That's the only thing with the Carlton name that survived the merger. Although it's been rumoured that it will be sold off. Quite ironic that the other big player of ITV, STV owned Pearl & Dean, although that's been subject to change, but feel free to correct me.

According to the website, Carlton Screen Advertising is still going as that name in Ireland but as 'Digital Cinema Media' in the UK.

http://www.carltonscreen.com/

Well there's a rut to be in! I'm guessing they'd have to give Sky some sort of compensation if they were to close it then?

I know they've been told by the regulators to reduce their stake, but as things are do Sky still own something like 17.5% of ITV?

ITV have announced a new show to fill the former regional slot on Thursday nights (currently home to The Krypton Factor) - and it's basically regional TV on a national scale in the form of Countrywise, a 36-part look at rural life across the country.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2009/02/itv1_lines_up_rural_show_for_early_evening_slot.html

It kind of shows though how with a bit of imagination they could have still put out some regional programming, say splitting England into roughly six regions and producing six episodes for each region of Countrywise, and then repackaging it for a national audience as Countrywise UK or something.

How exciting and innovative.

Weren't ITV planning their own version of Inside Out? Or did that get scrapped?

Basically it's like Crimefighters over again, except everyone will see all the Regional editions on ITV1 this time.

They were (was going to be called Here and Now - sounds familiar!) but the Ofcom quota reductions went further than was expected, so the idea was scrapped.

That Alan Titchmarsh theme tune is so annoying.

Usually at school when its on? I wouldn't worry for the viewers ears, hardly anybody watches it anyway.

No, I left school seven years ago. I was only watching this afternoon because John Suchet was on the show, and he's always been my favourite newsreader.