If he said it, I'll believe it. If he didn't then it's a lie.

The BBC shared Olympics coverage with ITV in 88 if I recall correctly. And I'm sure others. I'm not sure people would have been quite so angry in 2020. Eurosport's reach grows, TV is changing and Tokyo is a terrible timezone.

This graph should scare all TV companies witless. The graph shows that only people over 50 are watching more TV in America.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...ff-why/503666/

If I remember rightly he said it in summer 2014 when there were early reports of GMB being axed.

Although that's basically 'recently' isn't it ftv?

Is the Birds of a Feather Christmas special location already known? If it wasn't, Zoe Ball has just said Lesley Joseph is training for Strictly in Malta where she's filming the BOAF Xmas Special. No idea if it'll be set there though.

I think that could do brilliantly on Christmas. As One Foot in the Algarve proved, sometimes people want to see a bit of sun in the middle of December.

Yeah I think it was revealed last week from ITV themselves?

I'm thinking also that it will be on Christmas Day, would be different for ITV I feel. No doubt up against EE.

As for ITV's Tuesday Flop Zone... well, there's a couple of things they could do.

Either try a new series there but one that is likely to bring in viewers (something similar to Victoria maybe) and build the rest of the night around that. Or take an already established show there (Midsomer Murders? Doc Martin?) and build the audience around that.

I would be very tempted to stick Brief Encounters Series 2 on Tuesdays to see if it can keep its audience there. Even Benidorm.

If Judge Rinder goes far on Strictly, ITV should definitely be thinking of some primetime specials. If they went with more light-hearted cases or featured celebrities, it could rate well. It's not like Jeremy Kyle, which wouldn't be suited, Judge Rinder is a very theatrical show as it is and could easily adapt to 8pm.

I know Tuesday flop zone is a running gag but the night can be brought back from the dead. 5 years ago, it was unthinkable that Friday Night on CBS could feature three shows rating 9m+. They moved CSI NY there to kill it off, but it rated well enough that they got a 10m rating show, Blue Bloods, leading out of it.

Then they cancelled CSI NY and moved the already established Hawaii 5-0 there and it did the unthinkable and increased its audience! Now they've got MacGyver leading into them, and they've pretty much made Friday an incredibly strong night. Other networks are trying to do the same now and have finally realised that audiences will seek out good shows, regardless of the night BUT you do need to put in some work to get rid of the stigma.

Cowell has saved joke acrts on several occasions.

He didn't send it to deadlock because he knew thay had the lowest votes.

Seoul in 1988 was the last time ITV covered the Olympics

I don't think morning ratings for ITV will ever now reach BBC's I cant even think of any ideas for them!

I would love BOAF to be on Christmas Day. Following on from Coronation Street. ITV have so very rarely had comedy on Christmas Day that it would mix up the schedule a bit from the last few years of drama, drama and more drama. I think a good schedule would be:

Christmas Day

6pm The Chase Christmas Special
7pm Coronation Street
7.30pm Emmerdale
8pm Coronation Street
8.30pm Birds of a Feather
9.30pm Vicious

Split Corrie with a big storyline, supporting either end of the schedule. Corrie has shown if it has a good storyline at Xmas, it can do well. Under Collinson it could pull in 10m+ consolidated and match EE in one year.

Boxing Day

6pm Paul O' Grady: For The Love of Dogs
7pm Emmerdale
7.30pm Coronation Street
8pm Blankety Blank
9pm Grantchester

POG Dogs is always in Xmas Day in the slot that is often after a sub 2m programme, yet still manages to build an audience up towards 4m. Putting in it an evening slot, it could pull in 4.5m+

Blankety Black would sit well with Corrie, and Grantchester on Boxing Day where viewers are more open to watch dramas.

Re Tuesday flop zone for ITV, the easiest answer is Midsommer and then have follow up shows planned.

Or, if they don't want to spend too much money, gameshow Tuesday. They're cheap, they'll get 3m or more and they'll actually be almost new again to primetime.

I saw some of an old WoFortune with Bradley Walsh yesterday. It reminded me of when TV saw gameshows of a way of building a programme around an entertainer.

So simple.

Planet Earth 2 is 6 x 60 minute episodes and there are six Sundays between the end of Poldark and Christmas Day. However I'm assuming they'll want Sunday 18th December for the final of The Apprentice so there wouldn't be room for PE2 there, so I would agree with Monday at 9pm, probably the week after Cold Feet finishes.

I like the idea of PE2 going out on Mondays at 9pm because that would mean BBC1's weekday 9pm slots would be:

MONDAY: Planet Earth 2
TUESDAY: Ordinary Lies
WEDNESDAY: The Missing
THURSDAY: The Apprentice
FRIDAY: Have I Got News For You

and suddenly the schedule is looking worthy as an Autumn schedule, even if some of the programmes might possible underperform in the ratings.

ITV have confirmed series 2 of Thunderbirds Are Go will launch on Saturday 22nd at 3.30pm with ep2 on at 4pm.

I hope this is its fixed slot. Its better than the 8.30pm slot in the mornings.

Do you think Who Do You Think You Are could be Wednesdays at 8pm?

One Foot In The Algarve did well because that year One Foot was huge. It went out on December 26th and got 20m, beating everything on Christmas Day including Only Fools and Birds Of A Feather which had over 19m.

Birds Of A Feather could do well on Christmas Day but scheduling is key and I still say Mrs Brown's Boys will take some beating.

I strongly believe it WILL be (and it's got big boots to fill). Wonder if the new slot can help it reverse some of the ratings loss of recent series. I believe it's Danny Dyer on the first show.

Then it'll surely launch low for a series launch with him on first.

I'm really looking forward to Planet Earth 2. Should be good for a 5-6m audience.

I think it'll face 2 part drama Dark Angel on ITV, followed by IAC

Could do better if it had EastEnders as a run in - so Thursday at 8 putting Watchdog back to Wednesdays

Two helpings of the GBBO week after next - The Final on Wednesday and then The Class of 2015 on Thursday

If WDYTYA is at 8pm it might get 5m but it's not as hit as it used to be. It's also guest dependent these days to get viewers.

I agree with this about Sky and the HBO deal is bringing in US series likely not getting any prominent UK air time otherwise.

I guess my point was really about how Netflix by acquiring rights to the kind of shows that Sky used to aspire towards are positioning themselves as a rival for go to new US TV as well as binge watching and their own new productions.

The post I referred to was comparing Sky and Netflix and the relative value of each to the subscriber.

Sky's subs are high and adding Netflix as well is not something many will choose (especially as Sky, unlike Virgin, are not rushing to offer a Netflix option on their boxes)

But if Netflix expand their policy of grabbing hot new US series they might start abstracting viewers from Sky given that £7.49 pm is a lot cheaper than the £20 pm basic Sky Q package Sky have just started.

Sky dropping their HD + boxes as the standard and (unless they have a valid reason to need a Sky HD + box instead) making new customers take Sky Q with its streaming rather than recording seems to be heading them more in the Netflix direction, too.

These appear to be squaring up as the two main non Freeview TV premium package options in the UK.

I asked a while back about Netflix ratings because I was sensing the above. As posted about Westworld above Sky are happy to promote how well that show is doing in all its options to be seen not just 'live' viewing.

If Netflix become a direct rival and we have no way to judge how their shows are doing then Sky will have an edge by being able to push their hit 'ratings'.

Netflix might think they need to be more proactive in that respect if they want to take custom off Sky.

8pm is probably the best slot for it, not that it doesn't deserve a 9pm slot but it's been declining for some time, personally I think it should either end or just be occasional specials, 10 episodes a year have proven to be more miss than hit in terms of people involved.


It's a better slot but ratings don't really matter since it'll be repeated on CITV at 4.30pm or 5pm during the week plus international sales and toy sales really are what drives the series and likely pay for production. It's already commissioned for a third series so it'll have 78 episodes for syndication purposes which is more than the original. I wouldn't be surprised if they start rebooting other Gerry Anderson series like Stingray and Joe 90 and do a backdoor pilot via TAG


The Friday block on CBS while old skewing is a solid night, who have thought replacing The Amazing Race with MacGyver would prove such a good move and likewise NCIS: Los Angeles to Sundays. I won't be surprised if NCIS: New Orleans moves to Fridays at 8pm or Sundays at 9pm next season as it's not doing so hot at 10pm after Bull

Jaycee you might find this interesting about Netflix

$6 Billion Reasons Netflix Can’t Afford to See Subscriber Growth Stall

Well The Missing was great, if a little confusing. Should be the biggest drama launch this year I suspect.

Bake-Off lead in, little opposition. I predict a 6.5m rating. Bake-Off 10.9m