BR
Well, ITV4 has a pretty decent schedule from 6am-6pm.
I haven't watched a single programme on the channel since it launched - it's line up of archive programming and B-list US imports does nothing for me at all.
The schedule seems to be built around the live football and boxing - which were working pretty well on ITV2 originally and didn't really need to be moved.
I said before it launched, and my opinion hasn't changed, but ITV4 is showing nothing that couldn't be accomodated quite comfortably into the ITV2 or ITV3 schedules.
I also think ITV2 especially has suffered as a result of the launch of ITV4!
Going slightly off topic, but Sky Three is beginning to be what it should be now, showing some archive Sky One programming from a couple of years ago which would be completly new to the Freeview audience.
It also looks like they'll re-air most of Sky Ones imports with Sky now holding on to the terrestrial rights in most cases, rather than selling them on.
CoxyAppo posted:
ITV4 has one of the best ITV schedules, its because its not aviliable on telewest and its only on between 6 and 6
Well, ITV4 has a pretty decent schedule from 6am-6pm.
I haven't watched a single programme on the channel since it launched - it's line up of archive programming and B-list US imports does nothing for me at all.
The schedule seems to be built around the live football and boxing - which were working pretty well on ITV2 originally and didn't really need to be moved.
I said before it launched, and my opinion hasn't changed, but ITV4 is showing nothing that couldn't be accomodated quite comfortably into the ITV2 or ITV3 schedules.
I also think ITV2 especially has suffered as a result of the launch of ITV4!
Going slightly off topic, but Sky Three is beginning to be what it should be now, showing some archive Sky One programming from a couple of years ago which would be completly new to the Freeview audience.
It also looks like they'll re-air most of Sky Ones imports with Sky now holding on to the terrestrial rights in most cases, rather than selling them on.
JO
That's not really true though is it. The creation of CITV and the fact that the news channel was running at a sizeable loss, are the real reasons for its closure. ITV4 maybe brought that moment forward slightly.
FG1 posted:
They killed the Newschannel for this and they've made an arse of it! Typical ITV. They really don't know what they are doing!!!
That's not really true though is it. The creation of CITV and the fact that the news channel was running at a sizeable loss, are the real reasons for its closure. ITV4 maybe brought that moment forward slightly.
SE
Square Eyes
Founding member
What did they expect on it's shoestring budget ? It's supposedly aimed at young males who are light viewers but young males are a little more discerning than making do with old films and a football match once a month.
Young males do like imports but they'd rather be watching new series of 24 and Prison Break than short lived cheap imports that never lasted longer than a single series. ITV4 just seem to pick up what the other networks passed over. It's good to see some old classic favourites, but this is only ever going to attract a very small niche audience.
Apparently ITV are now looking at merging the content with that of Men & Motors and ways to "dramatically increase" ratings. An overhaul really is needed.
Young males do like imports but they'd rather be watching new series of 24 and Prison Break than short lived cheap imports that never lasted longer than a single series. ITV4 just seem to pick up what the other networks passed over. It's good to see some old classic favourites, but this is only ever going to attract a very small niche audience.
Apparently ITV are now looking at merging the content with that of Men & Motors and ways to "dramatically increase" ratings. An overhaul really is needed.
BR
I think Men and Motors has also gone downhill since the launch of ITV4. When it first came to Freeview there were a few things on it I'd watch, but now it's the same old crap over and over again!
It's something they wouldn't even consider in finding a place for the news channel, but now I think it's inevitable that Men and Motors will be closed and ITV4 will be a home to the crap off both channels.
And the closure of Men and Motors will be just the excuse ITV need to put their proposed new quiz channel, ITV Play, onto Freeview.
On the wider issue I think three "general" channels is about the limit that a company can operate successfully. Otherwise content is spread too thinly and the demographics of each channel are too narrow.
Square Eyes posted:
Apparently ITV are now looking at merging the content with that of Men & Motors and ways to "dramatically increase" ratings. An overhaul really is needed.
I think Men and Motors has also gone downhill since the launch of ITV4. When it first came to Freeview there were a few things on it I'd watch, but now it's the same old crap over and over again!
It's something they wouldn't even consider in finding a place for the news channel, but now I think it's inevitable that Men and Motors will be closed and ITV4 will be a home to the crap off both channels.
And the closure of Men and Motors will be just the excuse ITV need to put their proposed new quiz channel, ITV Play, onto Freeview.
On the wider issue I think three "general" channels is about the limit that a company can operate successfully. Otherwise content is spread too thinly and the demographics of each channel are too narrow.
NW
I think Men and Motors has also gone downhill since the launch of ITV4. When it first came to Freeview there were a few things on it I'd watch, but now it's the same old crap over and over again!
Really? If anything I think Men & Motors has improved significantally since ITV took over the channel, yes it's full of repeats, but they aren't too bad, and I watch it a heck of alot more than what I do ITV4. Yes ITV do run M&M on the cheap (same with ITV1-4 really) but it's got good repeats such as Minder, Auf Widersehen Pet, Police Camera Action! and many of the ex-GMG North versions of Crimefighters
I couldn't help notice the article when I had a glance at Broadcast in my local Borders the other day, saying that ITV2 and ITV3 are doing fine, but ITV4 barely struggles to get 100,000 viewers on a good day, the channel is getting beat by Sky Two (mainly Sky One repeats) and More4.
Give the channel another year and see what happens, the channel has been on less than six months and really it is too early to deterimine the future of this station, a re-think might be a good idea, but integrating it with Men & Motors sounds confusing, M&M is now well established on the Freeview platform and AIUI it is on it's way to making a profit, keep it that way.
Brekkie Boy posted:
Square Eyes posted:
Apparently ITV are now looking at merging the content with that of Men & Motors and ways to "dramatically increase" ratings. An overhaul really is needed.
I think Men and Motors has also gone downhill since the launch of ITV4. When it first came to Freeview there were a few things on it I'd watch, but now it's the same old crap over and over again!
Really? If anything I think Men & Motors has improved significantally since ITV took over the channel, yes it's full of repeats, but they aren't too bad, and I watch it a heck of alot more than what I do ITV4. Yes ITV do run M&M on the cheap (same with ITV1-4 really) but it's got good repeats such as Minder, Auf Widersehen Pet, Police Camera Action! and many of the ex-GMG North versions of Crimefighters
I couldn't help notice the article when I had a glance at Broadcast in my local Borders the other day, saying that ITV2 and ITV3 are doing fine, but ITV4 barely struggles to get 100,000 viewers on a good day, the channel is getting beat by Sky Two (mainly Sky One repeats) and More4.
Give the channel another year and see what happens, the channel has been on less than six months and really it is too early to deterimine the future of this station, a re-think might be a good idea, but integrating it with Men & Motors sounds confusing, M&M is now well established on the Freeview platform and AIUI it is on it's way to making a profit, keep it that way.
FA
The only thing that I usually end up watching on ITV4 is Letterman. There's nothing else that is really of interest to me on there. I can see that it is angled towards the demographic that it is aiming for, though I don't think it helps that (as people have already stated) the programmes that they're bringing in are either niche old programmes, or are US programmes that are a few years old and didn't even attract the audiences in the US.