GMTV news will probably be replaced with ITV News though.
After watching ITV News output today, I wonder whether it would be possible to merge GMTV's News Department into ITV News, rather than just getting rid of it. GMTV always seems to have reporters on the scenes, even if they are minor stories, these reporters along with an increase of reporters around the world and more of a focus on regional news centres, wait there, who am i kidding, this is itv news i'm on about.
I wonder whether it would be possible to merge GMTV's News Department into ITV News, rather than just getting rid of it.
Well what is possible and what is more profitable are two different things, and the latter is the more important matter to consider. Stockholders of ITV plc have every right to expect that Charles Allen will do his best to cut costs and eliminate as many jobs as possible.
The news this week that ITV has agreed to buy out SMG’s 25% share in breakfast broadcaster GMTV for £31m is also likely to figure in ITV’s thinking about the longer-term future of daytime.
ITV now has a 75% controlling interest in the breakfast operation and is keen to persuade Disney to sell its 25% of the business.
If ITV takes full control, it could have implications for the daytime schedule and operation and could mean some GMTV output and presenters cross-promoting ITV daytime shows.
Granada insiders said it would make sense to
bring GMTV production within the Granada production arm
if it can convince Disney to sell its stake.
Also the ITV News Channel seems to be using GMTV reporters on its breakfast sequence now
I don't think we'll be seeing "ITV1 Breakfast" any time soon. To the average viewer, GMTV is simply a programme, not a channel. Changing the name of the 'programme' would see silly and confusing to most.
True. But it's also true that "normal" viewers probably also thought of TVam as a
programme on ITV
rather than a broadcaster in it's own right. Therefore the change to GMTV was probably also confusing for those viewers. But it was tough sh*t for those viewers - the "name change" (which is all it would have seemed like to them) still happened.
So, if ITVplc see fit to scrap the GMTV name completely, they will. ITVplc will suppose that if "normal" viewers eventually got over any initial confusion in 1993, then they'll be able to get over it again.
chrisb posted:
GMTV news will probably be replaced with ITV News though.
In which case, that'll only leave the GMTV name intact for 0700-0835 (post-0835 is called "LK Today", of course), so ITVplc might deem that it might as well be totally dropped.
Granada insiders said it would make sense to
bring GMTV production within the Granada production arm
if it can convince Disney to sell its stake.
Also the ITV News Channel seems to be using GMTV reporters on its breakfast sequence now
Chrisb
suggested that that GMTV news will probably be replaced with ITV News. Presumably this will make the breakfast show the only exmple of an ITV programme being a hybrid accross two ITV divisions; in this case ITV News and Granada Production.
I did hear rumbling some time back that Disney were considering buying out GMTV... guessing Disney's recent financial turntable put paid to that!
Yes, but 'd guess that the total value of GMTV (£m120) would be peanuts to them. Presumably Disney would go for a small strategic holdng in ITV in consideration for their 25%, rather than the cash?
ISTR that ABC did some kind of shareholding in Granada, very small though.
etc