As a fan of Mrs Brown's Boys, I'm in no place to frown upon something like this and claim it's for the lowest common denominator. But I can't deny this news is somewhat disheartening. It's easy to slag ITV2 off for a format that seemingly promotes the idea of image being everything, but it's what its audience wants. It'd be like attacking BBC News because they told you Donald Trump won the election.
Makes you wonder what the point of ITVBe is when they still put their flavour of the month reality show on ITV2? TOWIE is still going for a niche audience over there for what is more of the same.
As a fan of Mrs Brown's Boys, I'm in no place to frown upon something like this and claim it's for the lowest common denominator. But I can't deny this news is somewhat disheartening. It's easy to slag ITV2 off for a format that seemingly promotes the idea of image being everything, but it's what its audience wants. It'd be like attacking BBC News because they told you Donald Trump won the election.
See, this sort of comment makes me sad. If you like Mrs Brown's Boys you should be free to enjoy it without people telling you you're wrong to like it. Likewise, if people like Love Island then fair enough. For me, there are numerous problematic points about the show but it is well produced, genuinely entertaining, self-aware enough not to take itself too seriously and light years ahead of many shows which people could bracket in the same category.
In terms of ITV2 versus ITVBe ... I've always seen ITVBe as the home for those who can't get enough of structured reality stuff. Whereas the big breakouts which aren't big enough/don't fit the brand of the main ITV channel fit comfortably on ITV2.
In terms of Big Brother, last series on Channel Five actually touched on a lot of important social issues such as transgender identity. Frankly, I learned more from it than many weeks of the pantomime that is Question Time these days.
The original Love Island in the Mid 2000s was shown on ITV1 for I think 2 series and then axed as I dont think it was very popular. Now its returned on ITV2 its built up quite a following, its all you can see on social media when its airing and people talk about it in work often. I guess its difficult one for ITV, if they showed it on the main channel it might flop and also people will complain about it taking up all of the 9pm slots Sunday-Friday which generally have drama and factual shows. I think its best left on ITV2.
The original Love Island was ahead of its time in many respects. The audience was just getting the hang of Big Brother, had the "social experiment" excuse in its head to justify it and wasn't ready for a show where the entire concept was overtly about couples getting the ride, to borrow an Irish phrase. It also was nowhere near as well produced, as you would expect given both the technological advances and the lessons learned in many previous series.
But beyond that, this just isn't an ITV/ITV1 show. You need to take all ages with you if you're showing something on ITV and, despite the fact many prominent and celebrity middle-aged viewers have started getting into it, you can't see it taking middle England with it. That's why you've got ITV2, and Channel 4, and other channels to provide that alternative.
Beyond anything else, ITV can go to advertisers "hey, see all those 18-35 year olds you can't find watching TV any more, they're all over here" as it stands. There is very little advertising wastage here, it's a precisely targeted show.
With regards to event television, it also ticks that box, alas a tightly targeted one.
Like TOWIE and Made in Chelsea, two of the most well known structured reality formats, you're either going to love it or watch it to see the irony in the characters or like me simply avoid as it's not targeted at me.
I lasted four minutes watching episode 1. Dialogue included "Oh my god" x3 times. It makes BB under C4 seem like a quality broadsheet.
Absolute dirge, but another winning format for ITV.
I'm not so sure I'd even last that long. That said, and despite my previous comments about this show, I was actually thinking of tuning in briefly last night if only to see if it's still as bad as I thought ... but TVPlayer was down due to high demand.
Then I came to my senses, and played Saints Row* for an hour or so instead!
*A video game from 2006 that just became Backward Compatible on Xbox One last week.
It is truly excellently produced TV. They know reality and they know their audience. It’s largely made by the same team as I’m a Celeb so it’s no surprise it’s so well made and so popular.