ITV1 triumphs in 2006 ratings.

I would prefer ITV focused on quality rather than ratings, but that isn't likely, unless Michael Grade can perform a big turnaround. The BBC is gradually trying to do this, but not completely.

I have to agree. 'The general stupidity of the British public' is one of the more humerous quotes - so basically the millions of viewers watching ITV and making it the most watched channel don't count, only people's personal vendettas against it's output? I've really been enjoying ITV recently. Put it this way - give me the excitement of the X Factor rather than the dull factor of Strictly Come Dancing anyday!

and are people also forgetting the fairly obvious point that ITV need to appeal to a mass audience in order to survive?

I think you're great too chuck.

Quality.

It's not that hard really. I've never complained about ITV failing to attract ratings, merely pointed out that an awful lot of the time they broadcast rubbish. Their ratings are of course declining though, as are the share of audience.

My point is that so much of their primetime material is stuff that 10 years ago would have had the nation switching away in their droves for fear of destroying brain cells by watching.

But now viewers have become so conditioned to the rubbish of the multichannel era, and ITV's lack of a fight for quality, that they expect, nay demand, the continuation of such rubbish.

Here's the simple truth- ITV can carry on broadcasting lowest common denominator drivel, and they'll carry on hitting "great" audience figures compared to other networks.

But the trend is downward, in both absolute terms and share. Ad revenues are plummeting- and the quality of the viewer they attract is neither desirable or affluent outside of key shows (e.g X-Factor). The only way to buck the decline in audience share is to provide consistent quality TV- to almost train your audience to demand better and expect better ....this is the only way that they will ignore the **** that occupies most channel numbers on the EPG.

They have an awesome business model to follow in that of CBS in America. A network that hit rock bottom and decided to plough every single penny of profit for a sustained number of years into quality programming. This move took them from the fourth biggest network in America to number 1, and saw increasing ad revenues- a totally unparalleled feat.

ITV moan about the lack of ad revenue and want government handouts, yet the Plc makes hundreds of millions of pounds of clear profit each year.

If Grade has the balls, he'll fight for the opportunity to "do a CBS" and massively raise ITV's programming budget.

The Plc board however, clearly have no eye for such forward thinking.

This is an irrelevance- I would suggest that the X Factor and SCD are both decent formats and things that ITV and BBC should be doing. That's fine.

The problem is the reliance on soaps- at least a third of primetime lost in this way.

The reliance on derivative "comfy" drama that doesn't challenge the audience or stretch the boundaries of creativity like those seen from the comparable US networks and the BBC.

The problem is the complete lack of comedy or nurturing of any comedic talent in this country.

The problem is tagging a "text-a-vote-to-evict" business model that pervades every other commission.

The problem is a complete destruction of news values- the closing down of a news channel in favor of a barely legal quiz network. The destruction of local news, and the tabloid "consumer" agenda pursued by the once decent ITN journalists that produce the ITV news.

The problem is the lack of challenging documentaries, the limited investigative journalism (of which ITV was once famous).

The marginalisation and bare existence of arts programming anywhere in the schedule.

Here's just some of the shows of 2006 that ITV would never have commissioned because of the rot they are in: Planet Earth, Imagine, Life on Mars, Extras....examples of exemplary documentary, arts, drama and comedy commissions by the BBC, and we know there are so many more.

There is so much wrong with ITV at the fundamental level that it will take a huge effort to turn it around. It needs completely reworking.

Sorry, that is bullcrap. Let us wait for the all-year shares of viewing, which will show BBC1 ahead as the most watched television channel.

BBC1 is consistent in its performance, while ITV1 has to trot out David Jason or Ant and Dec to be in with a chance of a winner.

ITV, one of the most pathetic excuses for a television network in the world (yes, even worse than Channel 5 or the U.S. networks).

ITV try to go for the things that cost less, but more people want to watch.

Therefore, they rely on contest finals &c., and when their model works, it gets them the high-ratings-programmes. However, whilst this is the stuff people want to watch, it isn't what everyone wants to watch, also even if it was what everyone wants to watch, do we want to be sat like zombies watching what xyz does to zyx, before we get to save vwx on 'The xwv (lol) Factor', and that alone? Is that what television is really about?!

Okay, the schedule isn't only reality/soap operas, but it is getting that way.

Personally, I stopped being a 'Channel Three Person' when 'Richard Hammond's 5 o'Clock Show' finished. It was the last thing of a long line that I reguarly tuned -in to watch. For instance, I watched 'T.P.O'G.S.' before, and during their run, I think I watched 'The Bill', so for every week prior to that, there was something that I'd tune in to watch.

Of course this ITV list ignores the World Cup, where the BBC got the majority (not all) of the big ratings, and has been released just before Christmas, when the BBC traditionally gets some of its highest ratings of the year.

As ever, the stats deliberately obscure the real picture.

What ITV are good at are getting one off big ratings... Like the one off Cracker and the one off Prime Suspect. Then they play on a certain type of demographic for shows like I'm A Celebrity and X Factor, shows which you either hate with a passion or love to bits.

But they rely on these hit and miss ratings far too much. ITV lacks consistency and variety and that's the problem they need to tackle head on. If Arsehole Allen was still top dog he would no doubt gloat about these ratings. I really can't wait for the Michael Grade touch next year!

IMO, ITV is great if you like soaps, reality TV, Crime Dramas and 120 minute films stretched out to 180 minutes (due to ads, sponsership stings and the gossip and self-promotion that's called ITV News)!

It was in Media Guardian, nothing to do with ITV