I hate the ITV News being at 10.30pm, it gives no room for 2-hour dramas or films.
Maybe, put two hour dramas are very scarce, and when they do come along, work perfectly on a Sunday Night, when the news is at 11pm. And we all agree that the news doesn't really work at 9pm.
True, but it still limits ITV1's options of programming at 9pm and 10pm
Channel 4 can do an hour long documentary at 9pm followed by another hour-long drama at 10pm. ITV can only do something for 30 minutes at 10, unless it wraps around the news, which is infuriating.
True, but it still limits ITV1's options of programming at 9pm and 10pm
Channel 4 can do an hour long documentary at 9pm followed by another hour-long drama at 10pm. ITV can only do something for 30 minutes at 10, unless it wraps around the news, which is infuriating.
I agree that that is a problem. I mean, some of the shows that we now see in the 10pm slot, aren't very good. Probably the most succesful one to come lately is Driving Mum and Dad Mad, and when ITV don't have a show to put on, they put a film on, take Die Hard last week for example.
They need a fixed Late slot which won't feck up programming.
One of the reasons why I love Channel 4 is because they don't have a late bulletin causing trouble, but an hour-long detailed assesment of the day's news with in-depth analysis at 7pm.
I'm trying to think of a solution, but it's very hard.
The problem is ITV are in a no win situation when it comes to the Late Night News. Goes back to News At Ten, ITV axed it as they believe that the slot could be more successful if there were programmes within the slot, this wasn't the case, the quality of programmes were often poorer and got the same or lower ratings than what News At Ten had.
So ITV put News At Ten back on, this didn't work, it also got moved about, the promise that NaT would be on at least 3 nights per week, Friday the only night when it wasn't on, then the bulletin would be at 10.30pm or 11.00pm. Anyway this NaT failed in flying colours, so 10.30pm was decided to be the new time, this hasn't improved ratings, but ITV have stuck with it, as there are often 90 minute dramas, and fillers at 10.00pm such as Tarrant on TV etc.
The problem they have is that they a spare half hour to play with, with the news being at 10.30. What I don't understand is why they never schedule anything to straddle from 9.30 - 10.30 instead of the cheapo 10pm fillers. Perhaps fearing a ratings slump from the other channels staring programmes at 9pm. But if scheduled properly they could use the spare half hour earlier in the schedule to create some of the gameshows, popular documentaries etc. and add a bit of depth to the schedule.
The 10.30 is worse in many ways than the 10pm when it comes to scheduling films. They've got into this absurd trend now of starting a film for half an hour at 10pm. I mean honestly, who is going to get into a film for half an hour and wait another 30 minutes for the vast majority of it to air ? The opposite is true with them showing the last half hour of the Bond film after the 10.30. Why bother ? Just start it half an hour earlier.
3.30pm CITV
4.30pm The Paul O Grady Show/Des and Mel
5.30pm Regional Programmes
6.00pm Regional News
6.30pm ITV News
7.00pm Emmerdale/quiz shows
7.30pm Coronation Street/Regional Progs
8.00pm Tonight/The Bill etc
9.00pm Drama's/films/reality tv
11.00pm ITV News
11.20pm Regional News
11.30pm Late Night programmes/Films etc
ITV tried 11.00pm with the ITV News, and that bombed, it was probably the worst decision they ever made, and the real problem is what goes before ITV News. Many of the dramas are an hour long, and the we are stuck with cheap shows which never get good ratings, sometimes we will get a drama premiere such as the one we got last night, which will work very well in the ratings, other times we will get an extended episode of a drama, like FW last week, which work as well, and the rest of the time we get a film, which never works to be honest. I don't see why ITV can't just leave films to go out at the weekend, like BBC One, which rarely schedules films on a weekday. I think ITV will never get the ratings back for the news, and only show that has ever got the highest ratings in the 10pm slot, was Coronation Street which got 10 Million, very good for a 10pm slot, but 3 episodes in one night is never good in my opinion.
3.30pm CITV
4.30pm The Paul O Grady Show/Des and Mel
5.30pm Regional Programmes
6.00pm Regional News
6.30pm ITV News
7.00pm Emmerdale/quiz shows
7.30pm Coronation Street/Regional Progs
8.00pm Tonight/The Bill etc
9.00pm Drama's/films/reality tv
11.00pm ITV News
11.20pm Regional News
11.30pm Late Night programmes/Films etc
ITV tried 11.00pm with the ITV News, and that bombed, it was probably the worst decision they ever made, and the real problem is what goes before ITV News. Many of the dramas are an hour long, and the we are stuck with cheap shows which never get good ratings, sometimes we will get a drama premiere such as the one we got last night, which will work very well in the ratings, other times we will get an extended episode of a drama, like FW last week, which work as well, and the rest of the time we get a film, which never works to be honest. I don't see why ITV can't just leave films to go out at the weekend, like BBC One, which rarely schedules films on a weekday. I think ITV will never get the ratings back for the news, and only show that has ever got the highest ratings in the 10pm slot, was Coronation Street which got 10 Million, very good for a 10pm slot, but 3 episodes in one night is never good in my opinion.
Well ITV have tried having the news at 10pm, 10.30pm and 11pm so where else could they put it? Perhaps have it earlier in the evening, maybe 8.30pm. Then they could have 2 hours films and dramas from 9pm-11pm when necessary.
12.30 ITV News
1.30 Perseverance
2.00 Loose Women
2.45 Mum's On Strike
3.30 CITV
5.00 ITV News (inc. regional)
6.00 Paul O'Grady
7.00 ITV News
7.30 Emmerdale
8.00 Regional Programming/Tonight
8.30 Coronation Street
9.00 Drama/Film/Docu.
That would work!
Emmerdale shunted forward to 7.30pm, Corrie enjoying a later slot, providing a good lead in to teh 9.00 slot.
News at 12.30pm, 5.00pm and 7.00pm.
The Bill would air at 8.30pm for an hour, and with a film/drama/docu at 9.30pm. If Corrie wanted to have an hour, the same would occur.
I see your thinking, however I don't think viewers would like news at 5 and 7...that's just one hour between news bulletins. ITV have to chase ratings to attract advertiser so it is important that peak time schedule is as attractive to viewers as possible. This is what I suggest:
4.30pm You've Been Framed
5.00pm ITV Evening News
5.30 Regional News
6.00 The Paul O Grady Show
7.00 Emmerdale
7.30 Coronation Street
8.00 Tonight/Regional/Documentary Series/Game Show/Comedy
8.30 ITV Nightly News
9.00 The Bill/Coronation Street/Comedy
9.30 Drama/Film
10.30 Drama/Film
11.30 ITV Late News
11.45 Regional
I am not a scheduler....I wouldn't want to be! I am just playing for fun, but after looking at the schedule I devised above, or at the others attempted by other folk, I think ITV's current schedulers do a better job!!! I still think though that their schedules needs far more variety and diversity rather than just soap, soap, soap!