Programmes can over run for sport. After all everything seems to over run on the BBC and thats all right

I can't see the Liverpool game getting over 5 million, so it wouldn't suprise me if BBC1 beat ITV1 all night.

Looks likely that ITV have their FA Cup replay: Southend v Chelsea on Wednesday 14th January.

I doubt that Coronation Street will be bumped. I expect coverage to start at 8pm (with an 8.05pm k.o.). Might mean the ITV News will be a bit later than 10pm.

I agree to be honest. I really can't see how Confidential is going to pull that many viewers. The vast majority of people will probably just wait till they hear who it is on the news tonight or in the papers tomorrow. Its not going to dent the football or give much of a boost to Wipeout.


I think it'll do better than that. It might not hit the 7 million or so the equivalent match (Man United v Villa) got on BBC One last year, but I would be shocked if it came in under 6 million.

Liverpool are always a big draw and theres the added incentive of Gerrard playing following his recent misdemeanours...

The 40 minute build-up won't help its ratings, that's for sure. I think it'll be somewhere around 5m personally.

Oh ITV have got lucky with that. The could bump Emmerdale and Corrie forward five minutes to accomodate the footy.

Yes but when ITV pay £3m for the match and only earn £4m in ad revenue in any given 24 hour period, then winning the DS ratings league table probably isn't top of their minds. They have to stretch the programming to justify the expenditure basically, regardless of whether that dents the average show rating.

Ah, I didn't realise they were giving it so much build up. I suppose the BBC never needed such long build ups because they had the seperate Football Focus, Score and Final Score programmes for all their other features.

Do you think they've spent too much on the contract, or just the right amount?

Yes, yes, I know. I'm not criticising ITV and saying they have made the wrong decision by having 40 minute buildup.

I'm just saying, that this long buildup will probably knock their average rating for the broadcast by quite a bit. That's all- there's no hidden anti-ITV agenda in my previous post.

So there is 40 minutes of build-up, but does any one know how much after game analysis they are most likely going to do?

The programme finishes at 19:20. I think that Demons will get pushed back a bit to 19:30, because:

17:25 to 18:12 - First Half (inc ~2 mins stoppage)
18:12 to 18:27 - Half Time
18:28 to 19:15 - Second Half (inc ~few minutes stoppage)
19:15 to 19:18 - Commercial
19:18 to 19:25 - Analysis?

It will run over probably. If there's a bad injury which causes a ten minute over-run for one of the halves, then it could overrun by 20 minutes.

Probably 5/10 mins.

That doesn't seem a lot, especially as there will also be adverts.

Not suggesting it. Just saying that ITV need to stretch things out these days as much as possible, which explains the Tuesday night CL from 7.30 to 10 followed by an hour of highlights at 10.40.

Given that Demons probably costs close to £1m an hour, the other 19 hours basically have to cost ITV zero to produce if they are to make any money today.

The huge investment in sport means ITV has little money to spend elsewhere (when all the other must do things are paid for - national news, local news, etc). So I dont think alot of the fantasy schedules for ITV are realistic from a money perspective so long as ITV is heavily involved in sports rights.

Of course ITV arguably over paid for both CL & the FA deal in hindsight but its going to limit Grade & Finchams options for the next few years regardless of whatever PR spin is put on it.

Incidentally, the RWC rights for 2011 still havent been awarded. It must be the slowest rights process in history. ITV might have to painfully decide to walk away from it in the current climate.

Wouldn't it have been better to cut 15 mins from the buildup (starting at 5pm) and having an extra 15 mins for the post-match analysis?

I think it's inevitable that the football coverage will overun (unless they are going to have a really short, poor post match anaylsis). Though, an overun will probably help inflate the Demons' overnight rating.

Oh shit, I forgot The FA Cup isn't on STV. Silly me.

Instead, those in Scotland get to have:

16:45 - STV's Top Thirty Best Loved Shows
18:50 - STV's Favourite

And at 22:20, they have: FILM: Jaws.

While tomorrow in the FA Cup slot, they have:

13:00 - FILM: Grey Owl
15:10 - The Steamie Story
15:30 - The Steamie
17:00 - Planet's Funniest Animals

And tomorrow at 22:45 instead of The FA Cup, they have: Sally Morgan: Star Psychic

Todays 2 objectives for ITV are to

1) use up as much airtime with the FA cup as possible
and
2) give Demons a good launch

Thats best done by a long build up, short after match summary & a late evening highlights show

Yeah... but if The FA Cup on ITV (exc. Scotland) overruns, yet STV are still on track, surely STV will have to start Demons in sync with the rest of the ITV networks, or will they start it at 19:20 and then the rest of the ITV Networks will be like 5 minutes behind if The FA Cup over-runs?

Well the new Doctor isn't Patterson Joseph as he not a she when they said his hair was spot on and Joseph has his hair short and they said it will be the youngest actor in the role ever! There was last money coming on Ben Whishaw and his odds shot up. It has to be him.

Cant imagine ITV being too concerned with STV being upset when they didnt participate in the FA deal

Does Matt Smith equate to 8 million I wonder?

Could he kill the franchise?

Exciting times ahead I think.

i think he could...

Total wipeout looks good, but it hasnt been advertised so... not good me thinks

From the trailer, The Life of Riley looks like a laugh free zone and yet again another middle class family sitcom like After You've Gone, My Family etc.