SP
I don't want to sound like an apologist for Ofcom here, but I think in a discussion like this, we need to recognise that they have to be realistic in the restrictions they impose on broadcasters when they're facing competition like never before and plummeting advertising revenues. There's no point in over-regulating ITV to the point that the company gets run into the ground.
It's all very well saying that the seperate ITV companies were making more money than ITV plc does nowadays. Of course they were - ITV had a monopoly on TV advertising; and internet advertising, which has now overtaken broadcast advertising, didn't even exist. I've no doubt that had consolidation of ITV not occured we'd have seen some regional companies go under.
Ofcom has to strike a balance between preserving ITV's public service remit and allowing them to survive under the current market conditions. Personally, I actually think they've probably gone too far down the line of relaxing the rules, especially in relation to children's TV and regional output. However, I do think it's unfair to lay all the blame at the feet of Ofcom. An ITV as we knew and loved was never going to continue in the age of multi-channel TV and the internet.
Of course I'd love to have Central, Granada, Tyne Tees and HTV back on our screens, but it's something we sadly have to accept will never, and could never exist again in the digital age.
It's all very well saying that the seperate ITV companies were making more money than ITV plc does nowadays. Of course they were - ITV had a monopoly on TV advertising; and internet advertising, which has now overtaken broadcast advertising, didn't even exist. I've no doubt that had consolidation of ITV not occured we'd have seen some regional companies go under.
Ofcom has to strike a balance between preserving ITV's public service remit and allowing them to survive under the current market conditions. Personally, I actually think they've probably gone too far down the line of relaxing the rules, especially in relation to children's TV and regional output. However, I do think it's unfair to lay all the blame at the feet of Ofcom. An ITV as we knew and loved was never going to continue in the age of multi-channel TV and the internet.
Of course I'd love to have Central, Granada, Tyne Tees and HTV back on our screens, but it's something we sadly have to accept will never, and could never exist again in the digital age.
DC
You say that, But Germany still has ARD which I believe was based on the ITV system and that doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon, although admittedly I think it may be funded partially by license fees
Quote:
Of course I'd love to have Central, Granada, Tyne Tees and HTV back on our screens, but it's something we sadly have to accept will never, and could never exist again in the digital age.
You say that, But Germany still has ARD which I believe was based on the ITV system and that doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon, although admittedly I think it may be funded partially by license fees
SO
I fail to see why the current digital age is always used as an excuse for the change of ITV's structure. Yes there are more channels available than ever before on different platforms. However, the vast majority of the channels are IMO rubbish, showing repeats, imports and teleshopping. The ratings also prove that ITV is still the most popular channel in the UK, so why break up the regions?
NW
I thought the Channel 6/Public service thing got scrapped.
RSL's are a good way foward, but they aren't cheap to set up.
Brekkie posted:
Exactly - and now they're talking about setting up a "channel 6" which would be based around local content - yet at the same time strip more and more of ITV's regional identity every year.
I thought the Channel 6/Public service thing got scrapped.
RSL's are a good way foward, but they aren't cheap to set up.
TT
At least when ITV consisted of 15 separate regional companies, you did get a decent balance of programmes made outside London. I'm looking back to the 1982-1992 ITV map here.
You had the "Big Five", i.e. Thames, LWT, Central, Granada and Yorkshire, all of which made a major contribution to ITV network programmes as well as providing news / non-news programmes specific to their regions. Thus out of the Big Five, you had the following:
Network programmes from London: Thames, LWT
Network programmes elsewhere: Central, Granada, Yorkshire
The other ten primarily existed to provide ITV to their regions, and make news / non-news programmes for their regions, but they all contributed to a greater or lesser extent to the network. TVS, Anglia, Tyne Tees and Scottish were the ones from this group who seemed to contribute the most to the network. On the other hand, Border, TSW and Channel seemed to contribute least.
The upshot of this was that ITV network programmes were made by the following ITV regions:
London
Big Five: Thames, LWT
Outside London
Big Five: Central, Granada, Yorkshire
Others: Ulster, Grampian, Scottish, Border, Tyne Tees, HTV, Anglia, TVS, TSW, Channel
Now there you have it! Weren't things so much better in those days? At least it meant a substantial number of network programmes were made outside London, did it not?
You had the "Big Five", i.e. Thames, LWT, Central, Granada and Yorkshire, all of which made a major contribution to ITV network programmes as well as providing news / non-news programmes specific to their regions. Thus out of the Big Five, you had the following:
Network programmes from London: Thames, LWT
Network programmes elsewhere: Central, Granada, Yorkshire
The other ten primarily existed to provide ITV to their regions, and make news / non-news programmes for their regions, but they all contributed to a greater or lesser extent to the network. TVS, Anglia, Tyne Tees and Scottish were the ones from this group who seemed to contribute the most to the network. On the other hand, Border, TSW and Channel seemed to contribute least.
The upshot of this was that ITV network programmes were made by the following ITV regions:
London
Big Five: Thames, LWT
Outside London
Big Five: Central, Granada, Yorkshire
Others: Ulster, Grampian, Scottish, Border, Tyne Tees, HTV, Anglia, TVS, TSW, Channel
Now there you have it! Weren't things so much better in those days? At least it meant a substantial number of network programmes were made outside London, did it not?
TT
I was talking about 1982-92, when TVS was the ITV provider to the south and south east. Meridian took over on 1 January 1993.
Jugalug posted:
Meridian, you walnut.
I was talking about 1982-92, when TVS was the ITV provider to the south and south east. Meridian took over on 1 January 1993.