UTVI is running its automation approx. 2 min ahead of ITV for Stars In Their Eyes. Consequently it showed two full ITV trailers and an announcerless (but UTVI DOGed) Hula-Hoop ident. But it also means it's cutting to break - as well as returning - early, cropping the show and uncovering a VT clock.
That suggests itv network slipped by 2 minutes causing automation to be out of sync. Then again you would expect someone to notice.
More worrying is that there may be no human interaction watching, more bizarre that if play out is from UtV Belfast that no one noticed.
That suggests itv network slipped by 2 minutes causing automation to be out of sync. Then again you would expect someone to notice.
More worrying is that there may be no human interaction watching, more bizarre that if play out is from UtV Belfast that no one noticed.
I'd be amazed if the channel's playout was left unmanned at that time of day - particularly where there is a dependency on a live feed/programme timings of another broadcaster. On the other hand, if it was manned, I'm equally amazed that this went unnoticed for as long as it did. That's an incredibly embarrassing blunder for any outfit that claims to be major player in the TV market in Ireland.
I dipped in and out (Harry Hill was never my cup of tea) Before the show started UTV Ireland kept running Promos for various shows, but it appeared to be the same promos over and over again. This went on for a few minutes. A promo for Cilla was shown a good few times. Then it went to Continuity who introduced the show, what we saw then was ITV promos and the ITV Ident. I turned off soon after the show started. When I turned back there was the 30 second clock countdown on screen. an hour later there still seemed to be problems going in and out of commericals. There was no announcement to say sorry. It has all the hallmarks of Continuity being prerecorded. If it was automatic they might have some excuse, but if someone was there, then it's a major blunder.
Continuity hasn't been right since the station started. The first 3 or so words always seem to be cut of the beginning of every announcement and sometimes the wrong announcement goes out. For example introducing the 10 pm News at 8
In terms of ratings for the news programmes (if they're right) as the weekly Top 20's don't include news ratings, then UTV is in the same position as TV3 was back in 1998. At that time TV3 went head to head with RTE's Six One and failed miserably - drawing in just 20,000 viewers. It was only when they moved the news to 5.30 did they start getting an audience.
The news is very much a loss leader anyway - it's basically there to guarantee some local content at least rather than to grab the ratings. Talking of which have UTV screened any actual original programming other than news on UTV Ireland other than that launch show on New Years Day.
The news is very much a loss leader anyway - it's basically there to guarantee some local content at least rather than to grab the ratings. Talking of which have UTV screened any actual original programming other than news on UTV Ireland other than that launch show on New Years Day.
Lesser Spotted Journeys
Rare Breed: A Farming Year (simulcast with UTV)
I think that's pretty much it.
A few people on twitter were asking UTVI about the NTAs, and they replied saying they didn't have the rights and left it at that - so I told them TV3 were showing it on the 24th.
As far as I can see the only 'local' non news programmes are Rare Breed, Lesser Spotted Journeys (both shared with the North) and an old James Nesbitt Travel show - a grand total of 90 minutes a week.
From reading other boards and press, the biggest complaint from viewers is the lack of the full ITV schedule, including news, big films, some of the drama etc.
As far as I can see the only 'local' non news programmes are Rare Breed, Lesser Spotted Journeys (both shared with the North) and an old James Nesbitt Travel show - a grand total of 90 minutes a week.
So nothing original to the Republic at all.
Quote:
From reading other boards and press, the biggest complaint from viewers is the lack of the full ITV schedule, including news, big films, some of the drama etc.
In theory surely most of the drama is on either TV3 or UTV. I'm sure to the they'll be able to cope without their rota of Harry Potter / Bond / Bridget Jones / Bourne films.
What gets me is that all these people are complaining that UTV isn't the same UTV as before. But the Old UTV would have continued if people had watched it in the first place. It's Market Share was way down. It is funny to see those that complain loudest on Social Media that they aren't going to watch UTV Ireland ever, except when Emmerdale and Coronation Street are on. Kind of missing the point of a boycott.
The controversy will start up all over again when the Champions League resumes and UPC customers find that they can only watch Tuesday games in SD and no longer in HD, since TV3 doesn't have a HD channel. Only a problem for the remainder of this season obviously (and TV3 have promised a HD channel by the opening game of the Rugby World Cup). The worst will be England internationals, which won't have an Irish rights holder at all now (and yes they do get some interest, particularly when they're not playing opposite the Republic as is now the case under the new Week of football system.)
