ITV ratings crisis. What is going wrong?

SamuelWSamuelW Posts: 8,447
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I dont know if you follow ratings, but Itv have been in a ratings crisis this Autumn with lots of their shows rating very badly.

The X Factor has lost 2million viewers since last year.

New Dramas are launching with only 2-4million viewers instead of 5-7million they should be getting.

Most returning dramas are ratings worse than before. Medical series Monroe just got 3.5m last Monday, a very bad audience.

Champions League football has been getting just 3.5m for Man Utd matches even though in past they were ratings bankers.

Take Me Out got only 3million yesterday, not even close to 4.5m it used to get.

Red or Black for 3million last 7 weeks, terrible ratings for such an expensive show.

Emmerdale is getting less than 7million, very poor considering it has a massive week coming up in just over 7 days time.

Coronation Street spin offs only getting 2.5million, embarrassing for a show which used to get huge ratings for anything associated with it.

Why do you think viewers have switched off watching Itv last few months? Itv are in a ratings crisis at the moment and advertise agencies must be very concerned by Itv struggling to get the mass audiences which the BBC does or even Itv used to be capable of. What is going wrong?
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Comments

  • citizenx103citizenx103 Posts: 1,452
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    SamuelW wrote: »
    I dont know if you follow ratings, but Itv have been in a ratings crisis this Autumn with lots of their shows rating very badly.

    The X Factor has lost 2million viewers since last year.

    New Dramas are launching with only 2-4million viewers instead of 5-7million they should be getting.

    Most returning dramas are ratings worse than before. Medical series Monroe just got 3.5m last Monday, a very bad audience.

    Champions League football has been getting just 3.5m for Man Utd matches even though in past they were ratings bankers.

    Take Me Out got only 3million yesterday, not even close to 4.5m it used to get.

    Red or Black for 3million last 7 weeks, terrible ratings for such an expensive show.

    Emmerdale is getting less than 7million, very poor considering it has a massive week coming up in just over 7 days time.

    Coronation Street spin offs only getting 2.5million, embarrassing for a show which used to get huge ratings for anything associated with it.

    Why do you think viewers have switched off watching Itv last few months? Itv are in a ratings crisis at the moment and advertise agencies must be very concerned by Itv struggling to get the mass audiences which the BBC does or even Itv used to be capable of. What is going wrong?


    Interesting numbers and trends.

    I've rarely watched ITV since the end of the 90's.

    We did get into X Factor and Take Me Out but both of which are increasingly about outlandish weirdos most people can't identify with.

    Its all been done before and offers little stimulation.

    Red or Black is just rubbish, lets face it.

    Dramas are fairly formulaic - costume drama about crime or relationships or contemporary drama about crime or relationships.

    ITV need to work out who they are trying to appeal to, it certainly isn't me.
  • stalminenetstalminenet Posts: 88
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    i think its mostly because ITV1 has become the Simon Cowell Channel showing all that Simon can think of and not enough original ITV content, if ITV bosses need to get rid of the Simon take over TV and then the channel will regain its trust and faith again
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,319
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    Have viewers turned to other channels, or turned off?
  • DragonQDragonQ Posts: 4,807
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    Yeah their programming is just bad. They are fortunate that they still have sports rights cos that's all they're good at (IMO).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,954
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    Maybe people are getting sick of watching the same old crap?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,488
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    Are ratings slipping overall? I'd establish that first before we start the ITV slag off match
  • SamuelWSamuelW Posts: 8,447
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    DragonQ wrote: »
    Yeah their programming is just bad. They are fortunate that they still have sports rights cos that's all they're good at (IMO).
    Even their sports coverage is getting poor ratings. Recently an England World Cup qualifier got only 4million viewers. About 5 years ago on BBC these type of qualifiers would get 8million viewers :eek:.

    Something has happened to Itv to make a large portion of people not tune into the channel at all for any genre of programming, should it be drama, entertainment or sport.
  • SamuelWSamuelW Posts: 8,447
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    Are ratings slipping overall? I'd establish that first before we start the ITV slag off match
    BBC ratings are just as good as they were last year according to www.Barb.co.uk . Itv1 audience is dropping very quickly in comparison if you check this graph out: http://www.barb.co.uk/graph/viewing-share?_s=4
  • citizenx103citizenx103 Posts: 1,452
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    SamuelW wrote: »
    Even their sports coverage is getting poor ratings. Recently an England World Cup qualifier got only 4million viewers. About 5 years ago on BBC these type of qualifiers would get 8million viewers :eek:.

    Something has happened to Itv to make a large portion of people not tune into the channel at all for any genre of programming, should it be drama, entertainment or sport.

    I suspect they've alienated a large proportion of the population and those that it formerly appealled to are more likely to be out on Sat nights.

    As a result their core programming on Sat nights reaches a lower base and their promos for upcoming programmes reach less people during the week.
  • runrigokrunrigok Posts: 227
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    This doesn't just affect ITV but all commercial stations but for me:

    Too many ad breaks, which I know is a bit of a problem for the companys as that pays for the programme, but i get fed up of watching a show and it being interrupted every 10 minutes or so, I record and skip trough the ads.

    Too many options to watch the programme. Theres +1 channels, ITV2 repeats, I Player and catchup services. The original showings may get lower ratings but when you look at the official ratings after these are taken into account most figures increase dramatically
  • Rodney McKayRodney McKay Posts: 8,143
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    If you're male there is little on ITV worth watching.
  • JordyDJordyD Posts: 4,007
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    If you're male there is little on ITV worth watching.

    You can say that again. To be honest what programming on TV is actually aimed at males these days?

    And with the new look Daybreak, they are switching off more males then ever before.
  • SamuelWSamuelW Posts: 8,447
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    There hasnt been much to watch on Itv for males like me for many years apart from sport.
  • Garry_McAuleyGarry_McAuley Posts: 440
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    i think its mostly because ITV1 has become the Simon Cowell Channel showing all that Simon can think of and not enough original ITV content, if ITV bosses need to get rid of the Simon take over TV and then the channel will regain its trust and faith again

    They need to go back to the itv of the 90's, when programs like YouBet! were on for example, that's when itv was actually good
  • CaxtonCaxton Posts: 28,881
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    Maybe people are getting sick of watching the same old crap?

    Like the Go Compare advert:D
  • peter_sharp1ukpeter_sharp1uk Posts: 1,653
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    Totally rubbish programming.
  • Glenn AGlenn A Posts: 23,794
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    JordyD wrote: »
    You can say that again. To be honest what programming on TV is actually aimed at males these days?

    And with the new look Daybreak, they are switching off more males then ever before.

    Lorraine Kelly refers to the audience as us women, which isn't a good sign. Also a lot of women find ITV to be rubbish as well, as they seem to think all women are intererested in are soaps, celeb gossip and reality shows. Fair enough, these do have a largely female audience, but the majority of women aren't interested.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,319
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    These comments definitely apply to ITV1 but how about the other ITV channels?
  • SamuelWSamuelW Posts: 8,447
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    On Itv2, big shows for them like TOWIE and Xtra Factor have been losing ratings. Xtra Factor only got 486k yesterday, a far cry from the million viewers it used to get. The Only way is Essex launched last week for its 578th series with its worst ever launch ratings. People are getting bored of these shows and new shows like Top Dog Model are a joke which nobody watches.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,488
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    I think it's marketing issues, a good marketing department should be able to sell Bacon to a pig. ITV haven't been promoting or generating buzz around their shows this year, and ultimately that's what's probably causing the most issues not the lack of good programing, the lack of good marketing.
  • DragonQDragonQ Posts: 4,807
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    Might also have something to do with non-FTA HD channels. I know a few people that look for stuff on HD channels before looking at SD channels when channel surfing. Probably not a huge factor but a factor nonetheless.
  • Glenn AGlenn A Posts: 23,794
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    John259 wrote: »
    These comments definitely apply to ITV1 but how about the other ITV channels?

    ITV3 is good as it shows you how good the main channel was in the past and ITV4 has some excellent minority sport. However, the two main channels seem to be overwhelmingly aimed at female viewers who love soaps and mindless entertainment. Mind you, to be fair, since Katie Price and Paris Hilton's contracts ended, ITV2 isn't as desperate as it was a few years ago and certainly rubbish like Love Island would never be shown night after night on the main channel like it was a few years afgo.
  • JoLucJoLuc Posts: 1,727
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    ITV need to dumb down some more to match the IQ of many of today's population.
  • vauxhall1964vauxhall1964 Posts: 10,333
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    JordyD wrote: »
    You can say that again. To be honest what programming on TV is actually aimed at males these days?.

    what, you mean other than the recent summer of endless sport and the staple diet of crime/murder/spy series? Plus a channel simply called 'Dave'. Last night BBC 1 had 2 and a half hours of football alone, while BBC 2 had 2 hours devoted to the Beatles. On Channel 5 their whole evening was taken up with a war film and CSI shows. ITV 4 had a war film, a super bike event, a fishing show and a serial killer horror film. Lots for the grannies and housewives there.
  • Rodney McKayRodney McKay Posts: 8,143
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    ITV used to have some good political programs on many years ago (like World in Action). They haven't run a decent science or educational series for a long time.

    It's all soap operas, reality TV and police shows.

    ITV news is now dumbed down, shame they got rid of their 24 hour news channel.

    If ITV closed down I wouldn't even notice.
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