That's where you are wrong, it's all about ratings. Nobody ever reports 'Such and such a channel had their lowest ever audience but it's ok because they were providing quality public service television'
And that's why ITV is so crap! Too safe and unwilling to take risks. The latest bombshell is that Ofcom has given the go-ahead for FURTHER reductions in regional non-news, allowing just one half-hour a week once each region goes digital.
That reply doesn't seem to match what I said. What I said could apply to any channel, including Wednesdays on BBC1
Good point, but we would all back him if he took risks and some of them failed, as they inevitably would. Where he is getting slated is where he simply pumps out more and more variations of the same stale themes (celebrity, ...from Hell, dramas which must be contractually obliged to use Robson Green and that bloke from Clocking Off) and so on. Nobody slags off Monkey Trousers, which the great Pickard himself admitted was a flop, because it was an brave effort. But there's so little else.
That's where you are wrong, it's all about ratings. Nobody ever reports 'Such and such a channel had their lowest ever audience but it's ok because they were providing quality public service television'
I think you're being naive, Andrew. No broadcaster can expect every programme they transmit to have a huge audience, and advertisers cannot be promised 100% audience share in every spot.
The success of a broadcaster is down to viewer loyalty, and maximising the potential of a channel's schedule so that, over the course of a typical evening, or indeed a typical week, there are likely to be LARGE (not necessarily MAXIMUM) audiences at a mixture of times of day, at key times in peaktime and either side.
To provide a varied, interesting, challenging schedule attracts viewers and, although momentum in some areas can be slower to build than the so-called 'ratings pullers', once that momentum has been reached it carries on in almost perpetual motion. With ITV's current policy however, treating programmes simply as 'brands', or 'the latest hit' before anyone has even seen it, viewers are pulled in not by loyalty, but simply out of pure curiosity to see whether it is more original than similar recent efforts. Trouble is, although large audience figures may be gained in the short-term, no audience loyalty is gained, meaning that, particularly in this multi-channel world (as, Andrew, I'm sure you're all to quick to harp on about as to why it's hard to win advertising) the channel can lose its viewer base just as quickly as it built it.
It is worth having programmes which don't necessarily top the ratings so that people are interested in the CHANNEL - and not just a PROGRAMME - this does more to increase the viewing figures for not just one or two over-hyped programmes, but the schedule as a whole - and also does more than End-Credit Promotions to create an enduring viewer loyalty, since the programmes themselves should BE their own promotion, with trailers simply being informational and reminding viewers when to find their favourite shows that ARE their favourites because they genuinely like them - and not just because they've had it drilled into them that they MUST like them, just so that they can see what all the newspapers and gossip magazines have been going on about (simply because ITV paid them).
In fact, this overzealous promotion, not just on-screen, but in print, is one of the factors that make what are, in essence, very cheap programmes ironically more EXPENSIVE to produce than the supposedly expensive studio-based programmes such as quiz shows, that ITV would claim are too costly to produce.
I'm sure if ITV were a little less extravagant on what they spend on the WRAPPING of programmes rather than the programmes themselves, that they could afford (a) to make more varied programmes and (b) to offer audience queues tea and coffee at the studios, even if for a meagre charge. Granada could even charge for audiences to come to shows, and put those charges towards the production costs. I'm sure audience members would be willing to pay to see a show at a studio (after all, thousands do at the theatre day in day out) IF they could be guaranteed the chance of actually getting in.
The reason why there are so many celebrity type shows on ITV now is because they pulled the ITV Celeb Idents so the celebirites have got to find somehwere else to air their talent - namely, the actual programmes themselves!
Those 2 shows that have been axed The Real Good Life and Fat Families - what about the people that have taken part in the former programme? Taking a whole year off trying to live off the fat of the land having cameras filming them all the time - only to see only 2 programmes aired? What a waste of their time and effort. They must be furious!
Those 2 programmes are taking up the slot of last year's Vault which was also axed in the same slot towards the end of its run, which was a great shame.
I hope when the channel receives its revamp this Autumn the programming and the scheduling improves PLUS A RETURN FOR SOME FORMER FAVOURITE SHOWS FROM ITV! Not repeats - new series of old favorites! It would a welcome change and as I have said before, there are so many decent shows that have been aired on ITV before which are now just repeating themsleves on obscure digital channels. Such as ITV3 .
Come on ITV - you can do better! Show us what your made of Man!
I think the resurrection of Survivor could show that ITV can do reailty shows well - and I know many reality fans have a high regard for Survivor - as long as it's original format remains intact, and ITV don't try to turn it into a money spinning version of Big Brother.
Press Ganged (dubbed "Survivor 3: On A Ship" by those in the know) is apparently still pencilled in for Autumn, which I'm quite looking forward to.
Let's hope not - if it is any way remotely based on RTE's Cabin Fever type format it could have problems - look what happened to the original ship on that reality show.
I agree with bringing back a few old favourites, and what a better time to do it then after all the ITV50 events. But nothing is going to change at ITV Towers as they all seem to be stuck up their own arse and can't see the long term damage they have done and are still doing to this once great Network. I personally think if you get rid of that fat **** Charles Allen, then ITV can move foward. It needs to invest in more quality programme and admit that the "reality/chav celb" era is thankfully over. And yes bring back the likes of Family Fortunes with a decent host at a decent time and cut back on one or two episodes of Corrie & Emmerdale. Invest in decent entertaining new programming. All they have done since 2002 is cut back all what the channel was famous for and filled it with lame brain, badly thought out pap.
It's a well-known fact that governments don't like referendums because there's a chance they won't get the result they want. I suggest that when ITV carries out its market research, they are careful to select people they know will give the answers they want to hear.
It's interesting how EVERY thread that has the remotest relation to ITV always ends up being drowned in the same comments over and over. Not that I have a problem with that - the majority of us have so much pent-up ITV-related frustration to release!
I'd just be interested to know what the WIDER public think. I mean, without being snobbish - the reason we're all here is because we probably feel more passionately about television than most, and view overall presentation and scheduling in a slightly more constructive way. I wonder if 'other people' really have the same kind of opinions toward ITV?
Press Ganged (dubbed "Survivor 3: On A Ship" by those in the know)
Yo!
Quote:
is apparently still pencilled in for Autumn, which I'm quite looking forward to.
I'm beginning to wonder. This series has been sitting on the shelf ready for transmission for about a year now, and it's just been put back yet again.
NorthDown2 posted:
Let's hope not - if it is any way remotely based on RTE's Cabin Fever type format it could have problems - look what happened to the original ship on that reality show.
No! Don't let Granada's lawyers let you hear that! It's a totally fresh, original concept and in no way similar to any earlier series that may coincidentally have been almost exactly the same, honest guv.
So surprise, surprise, we learn today that ITV's share of 16-34 year olds is slipping, with Channel 4 halving the gap.
Is it really any wonder ? I mean, yes ITV makes good one off drama's and long running series, but it's all a bit 'safe' isn't it, nothing is really pushing the boundaries. If they can't make slick, intelligent well produced drama's then why aren't they importing ? Channel 4 and Five have done this to great effect and are attracting a younger demographic as a result. But where are ITV ?
They had success with imports back in the 80's, so why haven't they been in the fray for popular, easily marketed series such as 24, Smallville, Nip Tuck, Desperate Housewives, Lost, House, CSI etc ? They used to have Baywatch & 90210 on Saturday teatime, so why not the OC or Smallville ?
A few well scheduled imports is surely a good idea to bring the much sought after younger demographic to the channel. It's the younger people who are going to be watching TV for many years to come, long after the old biddy Heartbeat / The Royal generation have snuffed it.
Do ITV realise you don't get many ratings from corpses ?
I agree, ITV need to think about getting the rights to show some imported series. They used to show a lot of american and aussie shows but now almost everything is home grown.
They also need to bring back a popular NZ daytime soap!
so why haven't they been in the fray for popular, easily marketed series such as.... Desperate Housewives, ?
ITV revealed earlier this year they were on the verge of buying Desperate Housewives, but, in their immense wisdom decided not to. The reason why is because the bidding became too expensive, and ITV didnt want to pay a huge amount for the series which they intended to air in DAYTIME! How stupid are these people for even considering airing the series in daytime?! Imagine the cuts and edits that would have had to taken place, not to mention the relatively small audience who would be able to see it. This was a golden opportunity for ITV to have a fantastic contemporary drama in peaktime, and to help remove their downmarket 'chav' perception, but they squandoured their chances.
