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UTV rebrand

New look to bring it in line with ITV (October 2016)

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DO
dosxuk
mr_vivian posted:
chinamug posted:
Riaz posted:

Could the high viewing figures for UTV Live have any connection with Northern Ireland being a UK region with a lower than average proportion of households with an internet connection?

A former resident of Northern Ireland informed me not so long ago that it’s still quite normal for children and teenagers in Northern Ireland to not have an internet connection, or even a computer or tablet, at home, especially in more rural areas.


I would have to assume this former Northern Ireland Resident is pulling your leg. 9 out of every 10 people have an Internet connection to the home in NI, plus every Man, Woman and Child under the age of 50 seem to have at least one Smartphone. Having said that it would be worrying that Children that didn't have internet access would choose to watch UTV Live... Shocked


Well I live in Northern Ireland and yes there are a lot of areas that can't get Internet. Not even a mobile phone signal! It's mainly rural areas affected.

As shocking as this seems... it's 100% true. Northern Ireland is just an afterthought sadly.


That's no different to the rest of the UK. Even London has plenty of mobile phone black spots (I seem to be talented at finding hotels located within them).
RI
Riaz
dosxuk posted:
That's no different to the rest of the UK. Even London has plenty of mobile phone black spots (I seem to be talented at finding hotels located within them).


There's a difference: Too much infrastructure in London (buildings) and insufficient infrastructure in rural areas.

I'm aware of the Cable TV situation in Westminster but that was a quirk of corporate political disputes. Cable TV does not exist in large swathes of Northern Ireland.
TI
tightrope78
Northern Ireland is the region with the fastest 4G download speeds in the UK, according to the most tech Which?/Open Dignal report (published October 2016). Also the region with the 4th highest availability of 4G in the U.K.

http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone-providers/article/mobile-phone-coverage-across-the-uk/mobile-coverage-across-the-uks-different-regions#?intcmp=HP.hero.large.2.wcuguide.mobilenetworks.oct5

So not quite the technological backwater this sample of one 'former Northern Ireland resident' paints!
RI
Riaz
tightrope78 posted:
Northern Ireland is the region with the fastest 4G download speeds in the UK, according to the most tech Which?/Open Dignal report (published October 2016). Also the region with the 4th highest availability of 4G in the U.K.

http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone-providers/article/mobile-phone-coverage-across-the-uk/mobile-coverage-across-the-uks-different-regions#?intcmp=HP.hero.large.2.wcuguide.mobilenetworks.oct5

So not quite the technological backwater this sample of one 'former Northern Ireland resident' paints!


Things could well have (or better had of) changed since 2013. Take into account that places that are the first to get a certain technology - whether it be railways, broadband, or buildings - often end up after many years have elapsed with less than cutting edge, or even legacy infrastructure, whereas places which get the same technology at a later point in time end up having the latest developments.
DO
dosxuk
Riaz posted:
dosxuk posted:
That's no different to the rest of the UK. Even London has plenty of mobile phone black spots (I seem to be talented at finding hotels located within them).


There's a difference: Too much infrastructure in London (buildings) and insufficient infrastructure in rural areas.

I'm aware of the Cable TV situation in Westminster but that was a quirk of corporate political disputes. Cable TV does not exist in large swathes of Northern Ireland.


Go to North Wales, go to the Peak district, go to East Anglia, go to Cornwall, go to Cumbria, go to the Scottish Highlands. All have significant areas with no mobile signal, no broadband and no cable TV. NI is not alone in lacking infrastructure.
MU
Multi
dosxuk posted:
Riaz posted:
dosxuk posted:
That's no different to the rest of the UK. Even London has plenty of mobile phone black spots (I seem to be talented at finding hotels located within them).


There's a difference: Too much infrastructure in London (buildings) and insufficient infrastructure in rural areas.

I'm aware of the Cable TV situation in Westminster but that was a quirk of corporate political disputes. Cable TV does not exist in large swathes of Northern Ireland.


Go to North Wales, go to the Peak district, go to East Anglia, go to Cornwall, go to Cumbria, go to the Scottish Highlands. All have significant areas with no mobile signal, no broadband and no cable TV. NI is not alone in lacking infrastructure.


Places in Northumbria and the North East too. Just a short drive from the city centres and no signals.
MM
MMcG198
Richard posted:
You know as well as I do that when ITV companies were all separate that they relayed each other's programmes. Regions like UTV, Grampian, Border and Channel didn't produce much for the other companies so the only difference between then and now was the local programming, but that has reduced everywhere.


I have never disputed the fact that there were other companies within the ITV network who produced as little programming as UTV. And the point I've been making about UTV would also apply to them. They should be regarded as no more than small branch offices of ITV. I just find the term "TV company" a rather misleading one, where UTV and others like it are concerned. Yes, they produce TV programmes but on a very small scale - the vast majority of which is regional news. And as I've said before, UTV (particularly since the late-90s) has been all about the shareholders, gradually reducing spend on locally produced programmes. No public service commitment here - it's all about the bank balance.

Richard posted:

The local touch of UTV as a whole. Despite BBC Newsline being better IMHO it's not as popular because it isn't seen as connecting with the viewers in the same way.


But what is this "local touch" that enables UTV Live to connect with viewers better than BBC Newsline?
:-(
A former member
Back to the branding has UTV been given the two halloween idents?
RI
Riaz
dosxuk posted:
Go to North Wales, go to the Peak district, go to East Anglia, go to Cornwall, go to Cumbria, go to the Scottish Highlands. All have significant areas with no mobile signal, no broadband and no cable TV. NI is not alone in lacking infrastructure.


Indeed. There are (too?) many rural backwaters on the mainland with a similar lack of digital infrastructure to rural backwaters in Northern Ireland.
BR
Brekkie
Riaz posted:
tightrope78 posted:
Northern Ireland is the region with the fastest 4G download speeds in the UK, according to the most tech Which?/Open Dignal report (published October 2016). Also the region with the 4th highest availability of 4G in the U.K.

http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone-providers/article/mobile-phone-coverage-across-the-uk/mobile-coverage-across-the-uks-different-regions#?intcmp=HP.hero.large.2.wcuguide.mobilenetworks.oct5

So not quite the technological backwater this sample of one 'former Northern Ireland resident' paints!


Things could well have (or better had of) changed since 2013. Take into account that places that are the first to get a certain technology - whether it be railways, broadband, or buildings - often end up after many years have elapsed with less than cutting edge, or even legacy infrastructure, whereas places which get the same technology at a later point in time end up having the latest developments.

Or your friend was taking advantage of your gullibility and you'll forever believe them over multiple people telling you otherwise.
chinamug, dosxuk and tightrope78 gave kudos
MM
MMcG198
ttt posted:
But MMcG198 asserts that UTV was never a proper TV company, which means that even when they were producing this range of programming, and going further back to the 1970s and 1980s, they still weren't a proper TV company. It's no use trying to to make out that this view is somehow a product of modern-day commercial realism -- the view being put forward here is that regionalism itself is irrelevant, and always has been.


"...producing this range of programming...". Ha. Amusing. Quite the "range" that. But what I will give you is that, say ten years ago, they were producing more local programming than they are now.

At no point have I stated that, as you put it "regionalism itself is irrelevant, and always has been." Regional programming still has a place in the schedules - and so it should. BBC NI, BBC Scotland and BBC Wales continue to prove that. When done properly, these programmes are just as relevant and engaging as any networked output. And yes, the BBC's funding model helps. Although decent budgets certainly do no harm, coming up with good formats and having a team that is ambitious and driven is also a big part of the success of any production. Format-wise, UTV has always been, well, less than imaginative shall we say. UTV Life - as someone in the industry suggested to me recently, would be more at home in a 1970s regional daytime schedule. Lesser Spotted Journeys - the kindest thing I can say about that is that it'd possibly work wonders for someone who suffers from insomnia.

BBC NI's 'Home Truths' programme - or even 'Nolan Live' (much as I despise the man) - two very different programmes, neither of which I could ever see being produced by UTV.
MM
MMcG198
Someone contacted me earlier to let me know about this:

http://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/2016/10/29/news/julian-simmons-not-out-and-definitely-not-down-755494/

Who knew that pre-recording a few formulaic announcements a few days a week was "hard work"!

An interesting quote at the end of the article.

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