ITV1 Competitions

I wonder if ITV PLC have recently employed someone to act as their Head of Competitions. There are three reasons I think this might be the case.

- Harry Hill's TV Burp introduced a competition at the start of this series which seemed out of place at first but I now think adds to the show.

- The last two episodes of this series of Benidorm also featured a competition which still seems out of place to me as it would during any drama/comedy programme.

- Tonight there has been a Dolmio advert running on ITV1 which also features a competition. This is quite unusual in itself as even when companies do run competitions the method of entry is not usually mentioned in the advert and viewers are instead told to 'see special packs for details' . However, this is even more unusual in that to enter the competition, viewers are asked to visit http://www.itv.com/dolmio/ thereby linking the product and the broadcaster in a way that I haven't seen before.

Maybe these three are just a coincidence, as they don't all seem to have the same aim.

TV Burp's competition is free to enter and seems designed to promote the book/DVD or whatever the prize is as well as filling 5 minutes of the show. If TV Burp was to be repeated after the competition has closed, the competiton segment would probably be left in because it is still interesting/funny.

The Benidorm competition has various methods of entry, most of which are revenue generating so I guess this was the reason for including it (as well as to promote the prize sponsor). When Benidorm is repeated/released on DVD, the competition annoucement will also almost certainly be removed as it adds nothing to the programme.

The Dolmio competition is free to enter and obviously acts as a way to promote that Italian puppert family's sauces but if that is all they wanted to do, they could have run a normal advert. This makes me wonder what the deal between ITV and Dolmio looks like. I wonder if the payment from Dolmio to ITV PLC is linked to the number of competition entries or even hits on the website. Maybe one or both of the parties feel this is truer representation of the number of people actually viewing/taking in the adverts than the BARB ratings for the programmes provides.

Don't know about Benidorm but not that uncommon for an advertiser to run a competition where viewers are directed to the channels website - it particularly happens on E4 with movies.

Channels/advertisers are always wanting to try new things so I guess Dolmio and ITV signed a deal which gives IV the exclusive rights to the ad and the competition website uses ITVs website and not Dolmios. Maybe to do this, ITV offer a lower price for the ad or something.

But new things are always being done such as live adverts so I guess they just want to see how it works out.

With the TV Burp one, I think that's just for fun more than anything, ITV don't make any money (apart from adverts on the website) and don't lose much (they have thousands of DVDs and books produced anyway so sending one free a week costs them very little).

Don't watch Benidorm so don't know how that one works, but if its anything like what Five do with some programs like Flash Forward where at the end of the program they ask a question about the program then I don't really see a problem.

It's getting a bit competition overkill on ITV1 lately. Any chance they can plonk one on any show they will.

For example yesterday (Friday) there would have been a competition on GMTV, This Morning, Loose Women, Dickinson's Real Deal, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Golden Balls and Benidorm.

That's 7 in one day! I know ITV are struggling but is there no other method to generate them some money other than enticing us to call premium rate phone lines ad nauseum.

It was presented more as part of the programme. The last scene ends and then the competition details are displayed/read out followed by the credits. I assume therefore that the competition also went out on UTV, where as a live voice over style competition would have only been broadcast in England. I wonder what would happen if ITV PLC try to do this on a show that also goes out on STV. I guess it is no different really to having a competition on This Morning or other magazine show but it does still seems odd to see a competition as part of a comedy show.

Competition disclaimers seem to get longer and longer.
It wasn't all that long ago that you had simply, "call 01632 259 195, calls cost 50p, lines close on Friday at 3, good luck".
Now in the wake of the entire Quiz TV saga, timeshift channels, on-demand catch up services and incredibly thick viewers, you've got to pad this out with "don't call until we say so, don't call after we say so and if you do, you'll be charged anyway, don't call if you're watching on the iPlayer because lines are closed." Are people really so stupid that we have to cater to those who, in the wake of EPGs, big "+1" DOGs and that they're watching Strictly on their computer on a Tuesday night, we have to TELL them not to vote?

Well technically GMTV isn't ITV. I've no issue, but I think the number of plugs for competitions should be restricted - probably 2 in an hour long show, no more than 3 or 4 in This Morning and GMTV.

On the other hand though surely it's time for C4 to scrap it's blanket ban on such competitions at a time when they're putting popular shows at risk by wanting to slash their budgets considerably. Paul O'Grady is already gone, and Deal or No Deal is said to be in the firing line. If run correctly and appropriately, viewers have no issue with them (and those who do are not obliged to enter) - and if it's the difference between keeping and losing a show, they are absolutely justified.