Big Brother should have stayed axed how anyone can watch that rubbish is beyond me. There is a reason why ITV turned down the chance to show it and C5 got the rights.

ITV wanted it at some stage so they obviously saw something in the format that you don't. One of their big hitters in the autumn I'm a Celeb is basically the same thing in a jungle setting.

Anyway, they've shown far worse programmes themselves. Cue Glenn to remind us about Evol Dnalsi!

The list is not as big as C5's though.

It's not a competition. As a C5 viewer, I'm very happy with what they're currently offering overall. And judging by the increase in audience share, viewers by and large agree with me.

ITV is not some sort of benchmark for quality, otherwise ITV2 wouldn't be the miserable excuse for a channel that it is. And the big summer entertainment shows on ITV1 would be rating considerably better than 3 million.

If you put viewing share vs channel budget, I think ITV1 comes out far worse ratio wise than Channel 5.

No I'm not mentioning that one, even if it was a real stinker and even ITV would admit they got it wrong. However, Channel 5 did wobble a bit last year with ITV 2 type programming, but clearly knew no one was interested in Amy Childs getting a haircut so rapidly ditched this type of reality programming.
I think one of the reasons ITV didn't buy up BB was the cost, which would have increased if they bid, and also it's a big commitment. If it failed, I could imagine the ITV haters having a field day.

I doubt it - The Open would want guaranteed ITV1 exposure and I don't think ITV1 would give it them for a 7pm finish on a Sunday. Other events on the European and US tour are pretty much tied to Sky for the decade too, while I suspect the demos are probably older than for most sports.

It would mess up their schedule too much and if it was moved to ITV4, would mean people in some areas like me couldn't watch it. ITV haven't shown golf since 1983 after they messed up a tournament and infuriated the PGA and those with long memories would refuse any offer from them.

What we were watching in 1996.
Rank Programme Date Channel Audience (millions)
1 Only Fools And Horses 29 Dec 1996 BBC1 24.35
2 Coronation Street 28 Feb 1996 ITV 19.80
3 Casualty 24 Feb 1996 BBC1 18.05
4 Eastenders 07 Oct 1996 BBC1 17.92
5 Touch Of Frost 04 Feb 1996 ITV 17.58
6 Heartbeat 08 Dec 1996 ITV 17.55
7 One Foot In The Grave 26 Dec 1996 BBC1 17.47
8 Euro 96: England v Germany 26 Jun 1996 BBC1 17.46
9 You've Been Framed 27 Oct 1996 ITV 17.34
10 National Lottery Live 06 Jan 1996 BBC1 16.62
Many people looking at this list would have thought THE match would have topped the list, but the 30 million that the FA claimed were watching would have been the match's peak and 17.46 will include those who watched the whole broadcast. However, fair play to Del and Rodney for winning 1996's ratings war with a particularly touching OFAH Christmas special.

Did this even air on ITV?

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/06/...smugglers.html

or anywhere in the UK?

I believe it aired in the flagship Tuesday night slot.

for all the time ive bashed the "flagship Tuesday night slot", I dont recall this one.

The food sponsorship is a non-story, it's just filling a couple of pages in the papers and people can tut at it, it's no different to any other sporting event in the last two decades. People said that nobody was bothered about the Jubilee, nobody wanted to see the rubbish England team at the Euros, all that. A load of people say nobody wants to pay the licence fee and clearly people do. The general point is that British people are forever moaning. The Olympics get big ratings wherever they're held.


A return to the old style of C5 football there, they used to show loads of pre-season friendlies but I question the value of doing them during the Olympics where people might be a bit less interested. And it looks a bit rubbish if that's all the football they show, and sadly I can't see anything else coming up they can grab, so they would have probably been better off abandoning football altogether rather than this pointless compromise.


Not to slag you off personally but on a general point, why are ITV being linked with every sport under the sun these days? Surely it's not news that ITV have competently delivered a sporting event? Why must everything now be on ITV?

Isn't it odd that ITV Sport not so long ago had such glamorous sports rights as local lower league football, athletics from Gateshead, and some second rate snooker and boxing? Now, and fair play to them, they have some pretty cool and demographically good events like Le Tour, the TT and the French Open.

There's little variation now in the Saturday afternoon schedule, with old-skewing movie titles filling much of the period. The football will be a welcome change and should improve on the slot average, particularly amongst younger viewers.


It's the only area where I'm seeing ITV spend at the moment. Everything else, even Coronation Street, is being cut back. But then the ITV Sport budget, whilst obviously boosted to some degree, will only go so far and it seems unrealistic to expect much more than they are currently providing.

I think ITV has enough sport that its budget will allow and can boast of having three jewels- the ECL, England internationals and the FA Cup- and a host of minor and actually good sports that they do well. I can't see due to scheduling difficulties and the fact ITV 4 isn't available in some areas them ever bidding for all day events like test matches and Wimbledon. Somehow the announcement, Coronation St will follow the tennis, wouldn't go down well as the Corrieistas would become increasingly angry as their soap was put back.

A few notable things - OFAH well out in front with 24m - I really think this is where the show should have ended - such a perfect ending which didn't need ruining by the 2001 Xmas special. The Casualty episode was Laura and Ash's wedding which got 18m, and I'm guessing the EastEnders' episode was when Ian was shot and Cindy left him for dead.

That OFAH is also the most watched episode of a regular TV show, barring soaps, of all time.

So whats the excuse for a drop of nearly a million viewers for EE from Tues to Thurs, weather was crap so the BBQ excuse is ruled out.

Similarly, I can't imagine just being stuck with BBC1 & 2, on a wet Friday afternoon. What was it today? Escape To The Country, or Weakest Link. Both repeats. Still, I suppose it would boost the afternoon pub trade if nothing else.
Last edited by 5 a day : 13-07-2012 at 19:49

It was the most touching OFAH as Del and Rodney did become millionaires after decades of trying and the scene where they walk out of the BBC car park was excellent, suggesting it was the end of an era. The 2001 Xmas special and the execrable Rock and Chips ruined everyone's memory of Britain's most loved sitcom.

Yeah, BBC daytime is about as inspiring as the god awful weather outside. I'd rather endure a marathon-long session of BBC Parliament than any of the lifestyle dross they serve up but neither option is appealing.

Surprised to see TWL back on the Beeb and not Challenge or something. From what I remember, it wasn't rating too well at all on BBC Two last time out, even for new episodes.

I don't think it's changed anything. People still think of it as fondly as they ever did.

SCHEDULE UPDATE via Digiguide...

ITV1 during Olympics Week
Saturday
6.00 Agatha Christie's Marple
8.00 Agatha Christie's Poirot

Sunday
7.00 Royal Greenwich
8.00 The Zoo
9.00 A Touch of Frost

Monday at 9 is TBA; Tuesday is Benidorm; Wednesday has Midsomer Murders. Thursday and Friday are TBA's.

Basically ITV1 goes ITV3. BBC Two has plenty of TBA's but daytime becomes BBC1, including CBBC in the afternoons. Evenings has EastEnders, Panorama and Holby City but otherwise it's mainly BBC2 - Restoration Home, Gardener's World etc.

There are two issues with this strategy:

1) The 'promotion' to ITV1 is unlikely to bring about a big enough increase in ratings for the performance to be deemed respectable for ITV1 standards;
2) Doing so will drag down ITV3 at a time when it's been in very good health, so ITV's multichannel share will also fall unless ITV2 was to dramatically increase.

But at this point, after a somewhat dismal first half of the season, it does look to be more or less their best counter option for the Olympics as they are short of good filler shows and the likes of Harry Potter and James Bond have been incredibly overexposed.