Originally Posted by C14E:
“Some things have worked for Channel 4 - Homeland has been a much needed drama success (albeit imported). Plane Crash was a huge success but unfortunately just a one off. 24 Hours in A&E, One Born Every Minute, Coppers and 999: What's Your Emergency all did well as did the Bouncers pilot. The Paralympics were a big success for them.”
“Some things have worked for Channel 4 - Homeland has been a much needed drama success (albeit imported). Plane Crash was a huge success but unfortunately just a one off. 24 Hours in A&E, One Born Every Minute, Coppers and 999: What's Your Emergency all did well as did the Bouncers pilot. The Paralympics were a big success for them.”
The trouble is 24 Hours etc. basically fill one hour a week - and that's it, although C4 are right to let them have extended runs for 13 weeks rather than just 3-4 weeks (6 at most) like most series.
Quote:
“But comedy is a mess, drama is non-existent and they're extremely short on entertainment. They seem unsure what to do on Fridays - at one point things seemed to move back there (comedy and panel shows) then a lot of it moved away again. And yes, I think they misfired by not getting The Voice.
One of the big issues for Channel 4 is the sheer volume of commissioning that goes on. They've got 8-11pm wide open all year round whereas BBC1/ITV1 need only worry about the 9pm slot for most of the year. So I do think it's a tough job. They've got that scenario where they're constantly launching new shows. It's difficult for them to make a sustained push on one show.
Keep lifestyle, body image, fashion, property and most cooking stuff to the 8pm hour.
From 9pm I'd take one night (probably not Friday) and have a 90 minute or 120 minute comedy block with 30 minute sitcoms all together instead of the current situation where they'll pop up all over the place.
One night for entertainment stuff (9pm-10.30pm) - if Sky1 can get 1.3m for Got To Dance there's no reason Channel 4 shouldn't be able to put together a big shiney floor show and find an audience for it.
One night for drama - a UK drama and a US drama perhaps.
One night for all their ob docs (One Born, 24 Hours...) and some documentary specials.
Friday for gameshows, panel shows and chatshows. Try and launch new gameshows and chatshows to sit alongside MPD and Alan Carr.
Films on Sunday.
Sorted!
Now I just need to find a hit entertainment format, a hit gameshow or two to slot share with Million Pound Drop, a few successful sitcoms and Channel 4's first UK hit drama in years. Should be easy... 
”
“But comedy is a mess, drama is non-existent and they're extremely short on entertainment. They seem unsure what to do on Fridays - at one point things seemed to move back there (comedy and panel shows) then a lot of it moved away again. And yes, I think they misfired by not getting The Voice.
One of the big issues for Channel 4 is the sheer volume of commissioning that goes on. They've got 8-11pm wide open all year round whereas BBC1/ITV1 need only worry about the 9pm slot for most of the year. So I do think it's a tough job. They've got that scenario where they're constantly launching new shows. It's difficult for them to make a sustained push on one show.
Keep lifestyle, body image, fashion, property and most cooking stuff to the 8pm hour.
From 9pm I'd take one night (probably not Friday) and have a 90 minute or 120 minute comedy block with 30 minute sitcoms all together instead of the current situation where they'll pop up all over the place.
One night for entertainment stuff (9pm-10.30pm) - if Sky1 can get 1.3m for Got To Dance there's no reason Channel 4 shouldn't be able to put together a big shiney floor show and find an audience for it.
One night for drama - a UK drama and a US drama perhaps.
One night for all their ob docs (One Born, 24 Hours...) and some documentary specials.
Friday for gameshows, panel shows and chatshows. Try and launch new gameshows and chatshows to sit alongside MPD and Alan Carr.
Films on Sunday.
Sorted!
Now I just need to find a hit entertainment format, a hit gameshow or two to slot share with Million Pound Drop, a few successful sitcoms and Channel 4's first UK hit drama in years. Should be easy... ”
I wouldn't go for theme nights but basically go back to basics with lifestyle at 8pm, factual at 9pm and where possible drama at 10pm, with comedy and entertainment from 9pm on Fridays and films at the weekend. It doesn't take too many hits then to begin filling the holes in the 8-11pm schedule, leaving less slots they have to commission for.
And if C4 really now consider themselves out of the drama game at 10pm why not be bold and give Adam Hills or someone the chance of a nightly talk show - they're probably not going to commission that for 11pm, but at the moment there is nothing in the schedules stopping them doing it at 10pm. It could easily be commission in say three six-week blocks throughout the year (Sept, Jan, Jun) which still leaves slots open to run fast tracked US shows from mid-Oct to Dec and Mar-May, plus a couple of months over the summer.
Originally Posted by johnnymc:
“Yet on reading her recent interviews Jay Hunt is against having too many fixed points in her Channel Four schedule like Big Brother or a soap, allowing her to be more flexiable with programming ideas. In not having too many fixed slots she indicated she felt able to be more creative with what happened in the evening schedule. It will be interesting and encouraging to see if her tactics could get the channel's ratings to rise in the next year and increase its share.”
“Yet on reading her recent interviews Jay Hunt is against having too many fixed points in her Channel Four schedule like Big Brother or a soap, allowing her to be more flexiable with programming ideas. In not having too many fixed slots she indicated she felt able to be more creative with what happened in the evening schedule. It will be interesting and encouraging to see if her tactics could get the channel's ratings to rise in the next year and increase its share.”
Proof that she's incompetent - a schedule needs familar "tentpoles" as a platform to launch new programming. Her approach would be justifiable for a BBC channel which isn't supposed to be chasing ratings, but she needs to remember although C4 is a PSB, it also needs to earn it's money to allow it to be the best PSB it can possibly be.
Originally Posted by Georged123:
“The thing with C4 is that it's got a decent number of shows but the scheduling is just dreadful and basically kills off many show's chances of doing well.
The Snowman and The Snowdog is another example of this. It could have been a huge hit for C4 if scheduled well, it has everything going for it but the slot. I agree with the poster that talked about C4 not being big enough to compete against the main two channels and has to pick its spots. I reckon the slot has knocked at least 2m off what it could have got.”
“The thing with C4 is that it's got a decent number of shows but the scheduling is just dreadful and basically kills off many show's chances of doing well.
The Snowman and The Snowdog is another example of this. It could have been a huge hit for C4 if scheduled well, it has everything going for it but the slot. I agree with the poster that talked about C4 not being big enough to compete against the main two channels and has to pick its spots. I reckon the slot has knocked at least 2m off what it could have got.”
They've really out dumbed themselves with that move - even without the competition for what is a film with wide family appeal an 8pm slot is ridiculous. I'd say 7pm at the latest for anything looking for a large audience.
As for ratings - I'd say it would have got 2.5-3m in a slot between 5-7pm, but I think we're looking at 1-1.5m now.
Originally Posted by Dancc:
“Scheduling News
Channel 5 will simulcast an auditions episode of new season American Idol on the main channel.
The two-hour series premiere airs Thursday 17th January at 8pm on 5*. Episode 2 will follow Friday 18th January at 10pm on both Channel 5 and 5*, after Celebrity Big Brother: Live Eviction.”
“Scheduling News
Channel 5 will simulcast an auditions episode of new season American Idol on the main channel.
The two-hour series premiere airs Thursday 17th January at 8pm on 5*. Episode 2 will follow Friday 18th January at 10pm on both Channel 5 and 5*, after Celebrity Big Brother: Live Eviction.”
Seems strange to simulcast the second episode rather than the first, though I guess that suits their schedule more. Presumably C5 will ensure Idol doesn't go head to head with CBB.
