Not that much of a surprise really. From Broadcast:

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/b...029386.article

Moving Corrie to Wednesdays is just going to weaken Thursdays more. The 9pm slot could become like Tuesdays at 9pm without the Corrie lead-in.

I'm guessing Emmerdale will go back to hour long either on Tuesdays or Thursdays. BBC One may be able to establish a comedy block on Thursday again with no soaps at 8pm

From reading the article it sounds like ITV want to free up the 8.30pm slot to launch shows and with football back on Tuesdays I'm not sure Emmerdale will return to hourlong editions.

Well Emmerdale is staying at 8pm so unlike Tuesdays there will be some stability. I like the idea of launching sitcoms at 8:30pm and if they do OK then they'll have a better lead in to offer at 9pm (not as good as Corrie but hopefully still good). I'd also like to see them trying some 90 minute entertainment there.

Meanwhile Wednesdays will work with Corrie at 7:30pm leading in to all new stuff at 8pm, whilst the football will considerably boost Tuesdays. Overall it should improve their ratings across the week.

Thursdays as a whole will be OK with Emmerdale at 8pm but if a sitcom or other show flops at 8:30 then the 9pm show is likely to be hit badly.

I like that ITV are planning to air better pre-watershed programming but I have no confidence in them making successful new sitcoms.

For anyone here who hasn't got a Broadcast subscription, here are the full details of the move:-

Surely it's the ideal move for ITV, looking at the wider schedule...I think it was always sensible to keep Emmerdale at 8pm and launch some interesting half-hour stuff off the back of it, perfect place for pre-watershed sitcoms - off the back of some highly-rated Emmerdale episodes in the winter.

Coronation Street back on Wednesdays was obviously going to happen since the UEFA deal, but this really should go in ITV's favour, and the implications could be big - the possibilities are endless on Wednesdays, a traditionally strong night for ITV, and a traditionally weakish night for BBC1 - so with football and award ceremonies on Tuesdays, pre-watershed drama/comedy/entertainment could really kick off successfully on Wednesday nights I feel, 'specially in the autumn and winter months.

Ideal when you consider the ratings of Britain's Got Talent and I'm a Celebrity in the 8.30pm-10pm slot - it's literally the perfect slot for big entertainment formats.

Britain's Got Talent and I'm a Celebrity should do a lot better as a consequence of this move - if ITV decide to be sensible with Talent and not have the stupid separate results show in the semis

ITV would be better moving Emmerdale to 8.30pm on a Thursday and commissioning an hour long show from 7.30pm-8.30pm instead of having to broadcast two separate half hour shows around Emmerdale. It could even be as simple as moving things like Countrywise there, and putting Tonight back on Mondays/Fridays at 8pm.

It will be interesting to see what the BBC do with Waterloo Road. I'd like to think they'll put it back to 8pm but I wouldn't put it past them to stick with the current schedule.

Fincham hasnt done much so far on comedy, but the Autumn 2012 timeframe gives them time to plan for it and its interesting that this is being announced 15 months before it happens - thats very unusual when scheduling is usually top secret til the last minute.

Fincham seems to be quietly turning around primetime ITV in terms of improving the content (not always the same as getting high ratings admittedly)

NBC:
8pm - The Voice Final Results - 10.77m (3.5)
9pm - America's Got Talent - 13.30m (4.0)
10pm - Love In The Wild - 6.47m (2.2)

FOX:
8pm - So You Think You Can Dance - 5.36m (1.9)

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...e-falls/96955/

There was an episode missed, on Comic Relief night. No idea why it's taken so long to make up for it.

No, it didn't. The 10-minute episode was classed as part of the previous night's episode.

I wonder if this could be the catalyst for BBC moving Waterloo Road into a permanent half an hour slot twice a week? So say:

Tuesday
19:00 - The One Show
19:30 - EastEnders
20:00 - Waterloo Road
20:30 - Holby City
21:30 - comedy

Thursday
19:00 - The One Show
19:30 - EastEnders
20:00 - Waterloo Road
20:30 - Watchdog
21:00 - drama

Could that work? That schedule would be in for January through to July and then September through to the week before Christmas with a 1 x 60 minute Christmas Special.

Either that, or BBC are going to keep Waterloo Road on 7:30pm on Wednesdays, and hopes it builds a loyal ~6m audience meaning Corrie will get dented. Interesting. I wonder if BBC are hoping they may 'force' ITV to move Corrie to Wednesday's at 8:30pm?

No matter what, thankfully this means ITV's schedule will have a bit more structure with regards to the soaps (thank god).

I thought that was a supremely confident assertion from Michael. I expect it's one of the options for around 10pm on Christmas Day, but there'll be other options too, such as Absolutely Fabulous.

I wouldn't rule out The Royal Bodyguard episode one getting the slot, either.

The Champions League final is on 19th May 2012. So waiting until autumn is 4/5 months later. I wonder if they want to wait until the Olympics are completed on BBC.

And give the BBC a half hour headstart.

So fill a slot with no advertising, with an expensively made current affairs shows with no repeat value.
I think Peter Fincham can rest easily in his bed tonight.

Horse racing during the qualifying?

If this is shown on Christmas Day I can see it having 2 or 3 household names on it, whereas Comedy Roadshow allowed less well known comedians a slot. Maybe have Michael McIntyre, Dara O'Briain, Jimmy Carr, Peter Kay - but more likely Sarah Millican, Jason Manford and Sean Lock.

It might be as early as July 2012 for the Coronation St move, once the Euro football championship is done and dusted.

My guess would be Royle Family followed by Royal Bodyguard and either Outnumbered or Mrs Brown's Boys. Ab Fab I think will be Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Comedy Roadshow I think will be Christmas Eve.

Wonder where The Hour will go, Monday and Thursday are out due to drama on BBC One. I would say either Sunday or Tuesdays.

I think the fact that it is filmed 'on location' rules out extending the commission much more than it is currently.

They don't have any interior studios to film in during bad weather/dark evenings unlike most other dramas.

No surprise Corrie is returning - but a bit of a (welcome) shocker ITV are venturing into the world of pre-watershed sitcoms, so it's not really freeing up the schedule when they could have played at 7.30pm on Wednesdays.

I suspect during Euro 2012 it will play on both Wednesday and Thursday before settling back into it's Wednesday night slot.

If an hour long show was on from 7.30pm, I think you'll find its ITV getting the headstart over 8-8.30pm. Not much will stop soap fans switching from Emmerdale to Eastenders on a Thursday at 7.30pm and one of their filler shows or even commissioning an hour long show aimed at a different audience could help capture an 'anti' audience. Half hour slots are just awkward to fill and if they have a flop at 8.30pm then its going to impact upon whatever is at 9pm.


There is advertising in those slots, and it can't be that expensive to make. Its just a rerun of past ITV News reports stretched out over half an hour. They don't even pay Julie Etchingham to present.

If, as you say, there is no repeat value, then perhaps they should ditch Tonight altogether and even ITV News .

Another point that will be interesting is whether they do stick to the slated time of autumn 2012 or if they move it next June after UEFA and BGT are out of the way.

I think Coast's final episode will be running on the Sunday of that week, so presumably Tuesday.

A shame if they can't use the Sunday 9pm slot, if you ask me. Giving it a couple of weeks of Top Gear inheritance would be by far the best thing they could do for the show. There's Law and Order: UK as opposition, but I don't think thats too terrifying to be honest.

EDIT: Ah, another problem. By my calculations, Sunday July 17th would probably be the day of the Apprentice final on BBC One. (I'd not thought about that in relation to L&O too, actually).