A bit harsh I think. On the comedy front they've got Benidorm and Birds of A Feather which are solid hits. Vicious didn't do well but it's coming back and I don't agree that it should be nowhere near ITV1, it was hardly BBC4 material! The first couple of episodes were extremely ropey and the acting was over the top but I don't think it was a bad show at all and it hit its stride later in the run. I hope the second run does a bit better at least (the Xmas special did a bit better than the series so there's possibly a shot of improvement).
As for there being no attempt at a panel show, that's incorrect as the modern version of Through The Keyhole is exactly that: a comedy panel show. There's no point whatsoever in them doing a topical panel show as BBC1, BBC2 and C4 all do them, and those aside panel shows don't tend to be big hits anyway (the likes of Would I Lie To You and Room 101 don't rate particularly well). Losing TV Burp was a blow but it does at least sound like they're trying to get another vehicle for Harry Hill off the ground.
I think Fincham has done a good job. He's restored the drama reputation of the channel massively. Remember when he joined in 2008, Shaps had axed a load of hits like Foyle's War and Trial and Retribution and all the new commissions like The Palace, Rock Rivals, Honest, Harley Street etc were rubbish and all died on their arses. Fincham has commissioned dramas like Broadchurch and Downton, both of which were pretty risky for them. Of course there's been some disasters too but every channel has disasters (Fincham had several high profile ones at BBC1) and you're remembered for your hits not your flops. When Fincham has left ITV he'll be remembered for commissioning Broadchurch, Downton Abbey, Long Lost Family etc, not for getting low ratings with The Marriage Ref on Saturday nights in the middle of Summer.
I agree there are some real holes in the schedule but for a start he can only work with the budget he's given. The Bill was never meant to be replaced, it was axed to free up the drama budget for 9pm shows (and originally scaled back in 2009 when ITV were cutting budgets). The soaps back on Sundays isn't a bad idea at all but unless you can come up with something good to replace them in the week then what's the point? Sundays aren't a problem area at the moment anyway so I'm not sure they'd see much benefit from it. Plus you'd end up with Corrie against Strictly every week in the Autumn.
I'm sure I remember reading recently about ITV developing a panel show called They Drink it in the Congo or something like that
And one, for Steve, this is what ITV had in July 2006:
- Sun 16/07 - Where the Heart Is: 4.4m (19%)
- Mon 17/07 - Driving Mum and Dad Mad: 2.9m (14%)
- Tue 18/07 - The Bill: 3.4m (18%) / Bad Lads Army: 3.3m (16%)
- Wed 19/07 - The Bill: 5.2m (28%) / Jane Hall: 3.7m (18%)
- Thu 20/07 - The Bill: 4.2m (23%) / Bad Girls: 4.5m (22%)
- Fri 21/07 - Taggart (20:30): 3.7m (21%)
...which is substantially better than 2014, purely because of The Bill.
Four 9pm dramas in the schedule plus The Bill. Was Taggart a repeat?
ITV are a complete mess this summer; there's no desire or effort to try or do anything different. It could be argued that the Commonwealth Games has resulted in them not bothering until it's out of the way but I'm sure they put in more effort than this between Euro 2012 and the Olympics and, indeed, the Olympics itself.
In fairness it's the weekend schedules and the 9pm weekday slots which is the big issue. With new Countrywise, Love Your Garden, All Star Mr and Mrs, Tonight, Harbour Lives and The Cruise Ship plus the soaps the 7pm-9pm schedule is reasonable - nowhere near brilliant but passable. However, bar Long Lost Family the rest of the schedule is horrific and the daytime line up outside This Morning, Tipping Point and The Chase is not helping in the slightest.
I'm sure I remember reading recently about ITV developing a panel show called They Drink it in the Congo or something like that
This aired in 2011/2012 with the name Mad Mad World. It was one of the biggest flops in Itv's history, struggling to even achieve a 5pct ratings share. A disaster for Paddy McGuinness, to add to his other Itv flops Amazing Greys, Show and Telly, Your face sounds Familiar and Football's Best Adverts.
There's no football on Tuesday so itv could fit some new drama in there. They need to talk to the writers of "Coronation Street" and ask them for a couple of pilots. I only realised that John Fay took "The Mill" to Channel 4 rather than ITV yet writes episodes for its big drama. And BBC one benefitted from Sarah Lancashire and Sally Wainwright changing channels. Fincham should have lunched Wainwright more I think. However he brought Chris Chibnal from Torchwood and episodes of Doctor Who so did well. Lancashire should not be underestimated as a crowd puller. She is still held in regard for her portrayal of Raquel in "Coronation Street" and considered well with the public in my opinion. Maybe not bring back "The Bill" but create something similarish that has the same appeal.
Those The Bill ratings were erratic, gaining almost 2m from one day to the next. See Tuesday nights were an issue even then. What was on BBC1 opposite to cause those major fluctuations?
I think it is time to bring back The Bill, but its a massive risk, and a massive cost, they probably can't afford it.
And one, for Steve, this is what ITV had in July 2006:
- Sat 15/07 - Pokerface: 3.2m (20%)
- Sun 16/07 - Pokerface: 6.1m (30%) / Where the Heart Is: 4.4m (19%)
- Mon 17/07 - Driving Mum and Dad Mad: 2.9m (14%)
- Tue 18/07 - The Bill: 3.4m (18%) / Bad Lads Army: 3.3m (16%)
- Wed 19/07 - The Bill: 5.2m (28%) / Jane Hall: 3.7m (18%)
- Thu 20/07 - The Bill: 4.2m (23%) / Bad Girls: 4.5m (22%)
- Fri 21/07 - Taggart (20:30): 3.7m (21%)
...which is substantially better than 2014, purely because of The Bill.
From Itv's perspective however, their current schedule is much cheaper than that and more profitable. The above schedule has 7 hours of drama, costing them in the region of probably £3.5million across those 7 hours, in addition to expensive gameshow Pokerface. That schedule averaged about 4million viewers for those slots, maybe costing them £4.5million overall, which equates to £1.13 spent per viewer.
Now compare it to Itv's current schedule: for the equivalent slots this week, they probably are funding a maximum of £1.5million altogether and averaging 2million viewers, which equates to £0.75 spent per viewer.. So for about 1/4 of the budget, they are getting half the ratings compared to 2006. Financially it makes more sense for them to do it the current way.
Itv arent interested in maximising ratings anymore or ensuring a good viewing experience for the British public. Theyre more interested in making money for their shareholders, with a strategy of having a limited number of high profile big-hitters sporadically throughout the year with most of the year filled with repeats and fillers. Theyd rather have the 2014 schedule with its current ratings than that 2006 schedule. Thats the reality of how Itv operates these days - they are a cold hard money making machine. As long as the executives end up with a big bonus at the end of the year and the shareholders are happy, they dont really care about investing in strong shows throughout the year to maximise viewer experience. It's a fact of life.
Those The Bill ratings were erratic, gaining almost 2m from one day to the next. See Tuesday nights were an issue even then. What was on BBC1 opposite to cause those major fluctuations?
I think it is time to bring back The Bill, but its a massive risk, and a massive cost, they probably can't afford it.
- Tue 18/07 - The Bill: 3.4m (18%) / Holby City: 4.8m (26%)
- Wed 19/07 - The Bill: 5.2m (28%) / Big Cat: 3.6m (20%)
- Thu 20/07 - The Bill: 4.2m (23%) / The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (90 mins): 5.2m (28%)
Itv arent interested in maximising ratings anymore or ensuring a good viewing experience for the British public. Theyre more interested in making more for their shareholders. Theyd rather have the 2014 schedule with its current ratings than that 2006 schedule. Thats the reality of how Itv operates these days - they are a cold hard money making machine. As long as the executives end up with a big bonus at the end of the year and the shareholders are happy, they dont really care about investing in strong shows throughout the year to maximise viewer experience.
If ITV decided to lower their profit margins, issued a profits warning, and their share price dropped, would you..
A) support this, as they are spending more money to create a better schedule for the British public, or start a thread saying that as ITV's profits have dropped, and as there is boardroom and shareholder discomfort it means ITV is in crisis, quoting all the negative stories from all the papers and crowing on about their financial state every 5 minutes?
If ITV decided to lower their profit margins, issued a profits warning, and their share price dropped, would you..
A) support this, as they are spending more money to create a better schedule for the British public, or start a thread saying that as ITV's profits have dropped, and as there is boardroom and shareholder discomfort it means ITV is in crisis, quoting all the negative stories from all the papers and crowing on about their financial state every 5 minutes?
You can't have it both ways.
There has to be some kind of balance Andy23. Itv made an annual profit of £400million in 2013. Why couldn't they invested £50million more in this years programming schedule, which would've resulted in almost 80hours more top quality drama or entertainment instead of all the filler and repeats that they've resorted to. Sure, it would've resulted in possibly about £50million less profit for 2014 but they'd still be making a profit of £350million+ this year which is pretty damn huge and the viewer experience would've been far enhanced, which would be better for the long term. The current strategy has resulted in them cannibalizing their weekly reach to all time lows, and that is going to bite them in the arse eventually when they try launching big projects in the future, if it hasnt already.
They still had a very substantial chunk of advertising revenue and little commercial competition in 2000, plus the Internet was in its infancy, most only had dial-up. A very different TV landscape.
Yes, but you have to speculate to accumulate and even the most commercially minded channels are investing, loads of channels are now getting into scripted content. Channels like Dave and Gold are trying out shows with modest budgets and Dave at least has the same issues as ITV plus substantially lower budgets. I know you can't turn the clock back but ITV still make a huge amount of money. Doesn't look like there's much long term planning either.
EDIT: Samuel appears to be saying the same thing, and I agree with him.
A bit harsh I think. On the comedy front they've got Benidorm and Birds of A Feather which are solid hits. Vicious didn't do well but it's coming back and I don't agree that it should be nowhere near ITV1, it was hardly BBC4 material! The first couple of episodes were extremely ropey and the acting was over the top but I don't think it was a bad show at all and it hit its stride later in the run. I hope the second run does a bit better at least (the Xmas special did a bit better than the series so there's possibly a shot of improvement).
As for there being no attempt at a panel show, that's incorrect as the modern version of Through The Keyhole is exactly that: a comedy panel show. There's no point whatsoever in them doing a topical panel show as BBC1, BBC2 and C4 all do them, and those aside panel shows don't tend to be big hits anyway (the likes of Would I Lie To You and Room 101 don't rate particularly well). Losing TV Burp was a blow but it does at least sound like they're trying to get another vehicle for Harry Hill off the ground.
The soaps back on Sundays isn't a bad idea at all but unless you can come up with something good to replace them in the week then what's the point? Sundays aren't a problem area at the moment anyway so I'm not sure they'd see much benefit from it. Plus you'd end up with Corrie against Strictly every week in the Autumn.
All good points, but I would still argue that even with Benidorm it's still too little to be announcing ITV have made substantial strides in terms of comedy, you're probably getting as much now as you were getting a few years back when it was supposed to be in dire straits. Benidorm itself is now a very old series.
I know you've got Through the Keyghole but to my mind there isn't much in the way of entertainment and they don't have the kind of returnable format like Room 101 that the Beeb benefit from. They don't do absolutely great business but they attract a certain kind of audience that doesn't generally watch the soaps and so on, they're endlessly repeatable (on numerous channels) and they don't cost very much to make, so you get more new programmes in the schedule.
And as for the soaps on Sunday, I know Sundays are doing generally alright but they certainly aren't at the moment and you get consistency on another day, as opposed to now where you go from enormous highs to crashing lows over the course of a few months. I know you'd have the Strictly problem but that would at least have the happy side effect of making life a bit more difficult for BBC1. And they're happy to keep sticking Emmerdale opposite 'stEnders, so it wouldn't appear to be totally out of the question. The real benefit is it stops people looking at the ITV schedules and seeing just endless soap in any one night which surely puts some audiences off (plus it makes hour long and double episodes actually seem special and improves their ratings when they happen).
And one, for Steve, this is what ITV had in July 2006:
- Sat 15/07 - Pokerface: 3.2m (20%)
- Sun 16/07 - Pokerface: 6.1m (30%) / Where the Heart Is: 4.4m (19%)
- Mon 17/07 - Driving Mum and Dad Mad: 2.9m (14%)
- Tue 18/07 - The Bill: 3.4m (18%) / Bad Lads Army: 3.3m (16%)
- Wed 19/07 - The Bill: 5.2m (28%) / Jane Hall: 3.7m (18%)
- Thu 20/07 - The Bill: 4.2m (23%) / Bad Girls: 4.5m (22%)
- Fri 21/07 - Taggart (20:30): 3.7m (21%)
...which is substantially better than 2014, purely because of The Bill.
Taggart was a repeat. Jane Hall had famously been on the shelf for about three years at that point and was being burnt off (a Sally Wainwright production, in faat) but at least it meant they had some more drama in the schedule.
In fairness it's the weekend schedules and the 9pm weekday slots which is the big issue. With new Countrywise, Love Your Garden, All Star Mr and Mrs, Tonight, Harbour Lives and The Cruise Ship plus the soaps the 7pm-9pm schedule is reasonable - nowhere near brilliant but passable. However, bar Long Lost Family the rest of the schedule is horrific and the daytime line up outside This Morning, Tipping Point and The Chase is not helping in the slightest.
I think Countrywise is a repeat, but in a way this sort of sums it up, they're putting new stuff out opposite 'stEnders and then the key 9pm slots are barren.
Good summary of the situation. The whole post I mean.
I notice repeats of that much loved ITV classic You Cannot Be Serious! has been pushed back an hour from this evening. I dread to think how bad the ratings must be to lose your slot in ITV's non-event of a summer schedule.
That said, is any leading commercial broadcaster anywhere in the world as lazy, unimaginative and tight-fisted enough to show reruns of a programme on the fringes of primetime that a) failed spectacularly when it first aired and b) is no longer remotely topical or relevant? Beggars belief really.
Mmm very interesting that Jane Hall belonged to Wainwrights pen! She's headlined the BBC drama department the past couple of years. Im guessing they will let her write anything she wants at the moment and the creative freedom will be attractive enough for her to stay. I think ITV unfortunately for them didn't spot potential in "Last Tango in Halifax" and rejected the script.it is drama like this that would revitalise their schedules again and stave off the critics.
A bit harsh I think. On the comedy front they've got Benidorm and Birds of A Feather which are solid hits. Vicious didn't do well but it's coming back and I don't agree that it should be nowhere near ITV1, it was hardly BBC4 material! The first couple of episodes were extremely ropey and the acting was over the top but I don't think it was a bad show at all and it hit its stride later in the run. I hope the second run does a bit better at least (the Xmas special did a bit better than the series so there's possibly a shot of improvement).
As for there being no attempt at a panel show, that's incorrect as the modern version of Through The Keyhole is exactly that: a comedy panel show. There's no point whatsoever in them doing a topical panel show as BBC1, BBC2 and C4 all do them, and those aside panel shows don't tend to be big hits anyway (the likes of Would I Lie To You and Room 101 don't rate particularly well). Losing TV Burp was a blow but it does at least sound like they're trying to get another vehicle for Harry Hill off the ground.
I think Fincham has done a good job. He's restored the drama reputation of the channel massively. Remember when he joined in 2008, Shaps had axed a load of hits like Foyle's War and Trial and Retribution and all the new commissions like The Palace, Rock Rivals, Honest, Harley Street etc were rubbish and all died on their arses. Fincham has commissioned dramas like Broadchurch and Downton, both of which were pretty risky for them. Of course there's been some disasters too but every channel has disasters (Fincham had several high profile ones at BBC1) and you're remembered for your hits not your flops. When Fincham has left ITV he'll be remembered for commissioning Broadchurch, Downton Abbey, Long Lost Family etc, not for getting low ratings with The Marriage Ref on Saturday nights in the middle of Summer.I agree there are some real holes in the schedule but for a start he can only work with the budget he's given. The Bill was never meant to be replaced, it was axed to free up the drama budget for 9pm shows (and originally scaled back in 2009 when ITV were cutting budgets). The soaps back on Sundays isn't a bad idea at all but unless you can come up with something good to replace them in the week then what's the point? Sundays aren't a problem area at the moment anyway so I'm not sure they'd see much benefit from it. Plus you'd end up with Corrie against Strictly every week in the Autumn.
Think he's more likely to be remembered as the man who scrapped GMTV, replaced it with Daybreak and then GMB, attracting ridicule for his channel and destroying its highly lucrative breakfast audience along the way.
Good summary of the situation. The whole post I mean.
I notice repeats of that much loved ITV classic You Cannot Be Serious! has been pushed back an hour from this evening. I dread to think how bad the ratings must be to lose your slot in ITV's non-event of a summer schedule.
That said, is any leading commercial broadcaster anywhere in the world as lazy, unimaginative and tight-fisted enough to show reruns of a programme on the fringes of primetime that a) failed spectacularly when it first aired and b) is no longer remotely topical or relevant? Beggars belief really.
You've never watched Channel 4, More 4 is CDWM and property shows on a loop, E4 is mostly imports and Channel 4 is stale beyond belief, again relying on CDWM to get it through Saturday after the racing.
However, re running a dated flop isn't a good idea for anyone, unless there is an irony value where Angus Deayton can sneer at something like Red or Black or some dire reality show. Wonder if Popstar to Operastar and Hell's Kitchen will get a re run then.:D
And one, for Steve, this is what ITV had in July 2006:
- Sat 15/07 - Pokerface: 3.2m (20%)
- Sun 16/07 - Pokerface: 6.1m (30%) / Where the Heart Is: 4.4m (19%)
- Mon 17/07 - Driving Mum and Dad Mad: 2.9m (14%)
- Tue 18/07 - The Bill: 3.4m (18%) / Bad Lads Army: 3.3m (16%)
- Wed 19/07 - The Bill: 5.2m (28%) / Jane Hall: 3.7m (18%)
- Thu 20/07 - The Bill: 4.2m (23%) / Bad Girls: 4.5m (22%)
- Fri 21/07 - Taggart (20:30): 3.7m (21%)
...which is substantially better than 2014, purely because of The Bill.
So much drama in the schedule and it was summer too! How I wish we could go back to those days. It can't be achieved now I imagine though because of shrinking budgets and more commercial competition - a real shame.
Mmm very interesting that Jane Hall belonged to Wainwrights pen! She's headlined the BBC drama department the past couple of years. Im guessing they will let her write anything she wants at the moment and the creative freedom will be attractive enough for her to stay. I think ITV unfortunately for them didn't spot potential in "Last Tango in Halifax" and rejected the script.it is drama like this that would revitalise their schedules again and stave off the critics.
It's not the first time a channel has missed out on a drama.
While BBC1 were doing a remake of Upstairs Downstairs, Julian Fellowes took Downton Abbey to ITV. That changed the perception of drama on the channel and has become a ratings, worldwide and cultural hit. Broadchurch is another hit, then there were the awards for Appropriate Adult and Mrs Biggs.
ITV is in a much better state with drama than a few years ago.
Think he's more likely to be remembered as the man who scrapped GMTV, replaced it with Daybreak and then GMB, attracting ridicule for his channel and destroying its highly lucrative breakfast audience along the way.
Fincham will be remembered for quite a few successes but breakfast TV is his albatross along with Red Or Black.
It's not the first time a channel has missed out on a drama.
While BBC1 were doing a remake of Upstairs Downstairs, Julian Fellowes took Downton Abbey to ITV. That changed the perception of drama on the channel and has become a ratings, worldwide and cultural hit. Broadchurch is another hit, then there were the awards for Appropriate Adult and Mrs Biggs.
ITV is in a much better state with drama than a few years ago.
"Downton Abbey" was perfect for ITV but the rest of their drama has been rather more thin. "Broad church" is about the only returning series they have and they need a few "Prime Suspect" "Morse" "Cracker" "Cold Feet" "Poirot" series again for their weekday 9pm slots.
With all these ITV bashing post I am begininning to feel sorry for them - but dont worry it wont last.
Why would you feel sorry for them? They're putting in little effort, making millions and not re-investing the money into new programming. Even an eight part/six part factual series at 9pm would be better than just rpt's.
It is my opinion other than LLF, ITV is the worst channel presently. If their not careful viewers will end up loosing more faith in ITV and hand the BBC more loyal viewers. A broadcaster should not be profit focused, but look more to viewer perception.
Th amount of rpt's in the schedule is a complete and utter joke. The further joke is that they seem not to notice Corrie is poor at the moment and Emmerdale is weak. This even further weakens an already poor channel schedule.
I hope Autumn and Winter is so jam packed with new programming and better soaps that we can forget this awful Summer. I don't like football, and most sport so for me this Summer has been the worst EVER!!
Why would you feel sorry for them? They're putting in little effort, making millions and not re-investing the money into new programming. Even an eight part/six part factual series at 9pm would be better than just rpt's.
It is my opinion other than LLF, ITV is the worst channel presently. If their not careful viewers will end up loosing more faith in ITV and hand the BBC more loyal viewers. A broadcaster should not be profit focused, but look more to viewer perception.
Th amount of rpt's in the schedule is a complete and utter joke. The further joke is that they seem not to notice Corrie is poor at the moment and Emmerdale is weak. This even further weakens an already poor channel schedule.
I seriously hope OFCOm have words with ITV. >:(
I do completely agree with you - I have never seen less effort being put in by a mainstream channel.
Nice attempt at rewriting the facts. There have been special reports on BBC News on BBC One every day for the last week, and a trailer that's been shown to death on BBC One. Of course it's not on the same scale as the Olympics, but to say it's not had much promotion is a blatant lie. All so that you can say well done to the Beeb if and when it rates better than your under prediction.
Comments
Thanks DMN.
A shame more didn't watch but a lack of promotion didn't help.
I'm sure I remember reading recently about ITV developing a panel show called They Drink it in the Congo or something like that
Four 9pm dramas in the schedule plus The Bill. Was Taggart a repeat?
ITV are a complete mess this summer; there's no desire or effort to try or do anything different. It could be argued that the Commonwealth Games has resulted in them not bothering until it's out of the way but I'm sure they put in more effort than this between Euro 2012 and the Olympics and, indeed, the Olympics itself.
In fairness it's the weekend schedules and the 9pm weekday slots which is the big issue. With new Countrywise, Love Your Garden, All Star Mr and Mrs, Tonight, Harbour Lives and The Cruise Ship plus the soaps the 7pm-9pm schedule is reasonable - nowhere near brilliant but passable. However, bar Long Lost Family the rest of the schedule is horrific and the daytime line up outside This Morning, Tipping Point and The Chase is not helping in the slightest.
I think it is time to bring back The Bill, but its a massive risk, and a massive cost, they probably can't afford it.
Now compare it to Itv's current schedule: for the equivalent slots this week, they probably are funding a maximum of £1.5million altogether and averaging 2million viewers, which equates to £0.75 spent per viewer.. So for about 1/4 of the budget, they are getting half the ratings compared to 2006. Financially it makes more sense for them to do it the current way.
Itv arent interested in maximising ratings anymore or ensuring a good viewing experience for the British public. Theyre more interested in making money for their shareholders, with a strategy of having a limited number of high profile big-hitters sporadically throughout the year with most of the year filled with repeats and fillers. Theyd rather have the 2014 schedule with its current ratings than that 2006 schedule. Thats the reality of how Itv operates these days - they are a cold hard money making machine. As long as the executives end up with a big bonus at the end of the year and the shareholders are happy, they dont really care about investing in strong shows throughout the year to maximise viewer experience. It's a fact of life.
- Tue 18/07 - The Bill: 3.4m (18%) / Holby City: 4.8m (26%)
- Wed 19/07 - The Bill: 5.2m (28%) / Big Cat: 3.6m (20%)
- Thu 20/07 - The Bill: 4.2m (23%) / The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (90 mins): 5.2m (28%)
If ITV decided to lower their profit margins, issued a profits warning, and their share price dropped, would you..
A) support this, as they are spending more money to create a better schedule for the British public, or
You can't have it both ways.
Yes, but you have to speculate to accumulate and even the most commercially minded channels are investing, loads of channels are now getting into scripted content. Channels like Dave and Gold are trying out shows with modest budgets and Dave at least has the same issues as ITV plus substantially lower budgets. I know you can't turn the clock back but ITV still make a huge amount of money. Doesn't look like there's much long term planning either.
EDIT: Samuel appears to be saying the same thing, and I agree with him.
All good points, but I would still argue that even with Benidorm it's still too little to be announcing ITV have made substantial strides in terms of comedy, you're probably getting as much now as you were getting a few years back when it was supposed to be in dire straits. Benidorm itself is now a very old series.
I know you've got Through the Keyghole but to my mind there isn't much in the way of entertainment and they don't have the kind of returnable format like Room 101 that the Beeb benefit from. They don't do absolutely great business but they attract a certain kind of audience that doesn't generally watch the soaps and so on, they're endlessly repeatable (on numerous channels) and they don't cost very much to make, so you get more new programmes in the schedule.
And as for the soaps on Sunday, I know Sundays are doing generally alright but they certainly aren't at the moment and you get consistency on another day, as opposed to now where you go from enormous highs to crashing lows over the course of a few months. I know you'd have the Strictly problem but that would at least have the happy side effect of making life a bit more difficult for BBC1. And they're happy to keep sticking Emmerdale opposite 'stEnders, so it wouldn't appear to be totally out of the question. The real benefit is it stops people looking at the ITV schedules and seeing just endless soap in any one night which surely puts some audiences off (plus it makes hour long and double episodes actually seem special and improves their ratings when they happen).
Taggart was a repeat. Jane Hall had famously been on the shelf for about three years at that point and was being burnt off (a Sally Wainwright production, in faat) but at least it meant they had some more drama in the schedule.
I think Countrywise is a repeat, but in a way this sort of sums it up, they're putting new stuff out opposite 'stEnders and then the key 9pm slots are barren.
I notice repeats of that much loved ITV classic You Cannot Be Serious! has been pushed back an hour from this evening. I dread to think how bad the ratings must be to lose your slot in ITV's non-event of a summer schedule.
That said, is any leading commercial broadcaster anywhere in the world as lazy, unimaginative and tight-fisted enough to show reruns of a programme on the fringes of primetime that a) failed spectacularly when it first aired and b) is no longer remotely topical or relevant? Beggars belief really.
Think he's more likely to be remembered as the man who scrapped GMTV, replaced it with Daybreak and then GMB, attracting ridicule for his channel and destroying its highly lucrative breakfast audience along the way.
You've never watched Channel 4, More 4 is CDWM and property shows on a loop, E4 is mostly imports and Channel 4 is stale beyond belief, again relying on CDWM to get it through Saturday after the racing.
However, re running a dated flop isn't a good idea for anyone, unless there is an irony value where Angus Deayton can sneer at something like Red or Black or some dire reality show. Wonder if Popstar to Operastar and Hell's Kitchen will get a re run then.:D
So much drama in the schedule and it was summer too! How I wish we could go back to those days. It can't be achieved now I imagine though because of shrinking budgets and more commercial competition - a real shame.
It's not the first time a channel has missed out on a drama.
While BBC1 were doing a remake of Upstairs Downstairs, Julian Fellowes took Downton Abbey to ITV. That changed the perception of drama on the channel and has become a ratings, worldwide and cultural hit. Broadchurch is another hit, then there were the awards for Appropriate Adult and Mrs Biggs.
ITV is in a much better state with drama than a few years ago.
Fincham will be remembered for quite a few successes but breakfast TV is his albatross along with Red Or Black.
"Downton Abbey" was perfect for ITV but the rest of their drama has been rather more thin. "Broad church" is about the only returning series they have and they need a few "Prime Suspect" "Morse" "Cracker" "Cold Feet" "Poirot" series again for their weekday 9pm slots.
Why would you feel sorry for them? They're putting in little effort, making millions and not re-investing the money into new programming. Even an eight part/six part factual series at 9pm would be better than just rpt's.
It is my opinion other than LLF, ITV is the worst channel presently. If their not careful viewers will end up loosing more faith in ITV and hand the BBC more loyal viewers. A broadcaster should not be profit focused, but look more to viewer perception.
Th amount of rpt's in the schedule is a complete and utter joke. The further joke is that they seem not to notice Corrie is poor at the moment and Emmerdale is weak. This even further weakens an already poor channel schedule.
I seriously hope OFCOm have words with ITV. >:(
I do completely agree with you - I have never seen less effort being put in by a mainstream channel.
Nice attempt at rewriting the facts. There have been special reports on BBC News on BBC One every day for the last week, and a trailer that's been shown to death on BBC One. Of course it's not on the same scale as the Olympics, but to say it's not had much promotion is a blatant lie. All so that you can say well done to the Beeb if and when it rates better than your under prediction.