Since 2003, ITV PLC has owned the vast majority of the ITV Franchises, taking control of Channel Television and UTV in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Only STV is independent of the PLC. There is now a whole generation of people who were born, and grew up in, the era of ITV PLC. They only know Granada as the weird name of the regional news. None of them know that ITV London was once a weekday and a weekend franchise.
However, that's not the point. Programming on ITV has been largely light and mid to low brow entertainment, over these last few years. Game Shows, Talent Shows, Cookery Programmes, Lifestyle Progreammes, etc. With ITV being largely stagnant, as are most of the terrestrial broadcasters it would seem, is it time for a change? Are we due a huge shake up of ITV, in terms of ownership, presentation, schedule? All three? If so, what do you want to see? While I don't see the return of regional presentation, I can certainly see ITV doing more in the way of producing programming outside of London, and shaking things up that way. Perhaps more regional opt outs, here and there.
Anything driven by the need to attract mass viewership will always fall to the lowest common denominator programming when the high brow operation fails. TV-am demonstrated this. And also ITV has always been seen as low-brow and downmarket ever since it first launched in the 1950s.
Indeed this was the case in the 70s and 80s to an extent, nothing really changes.
It's quite simple. ITV will do whatever costs them the least and whatever makes the most. They wouldn't give this a second thought.
As much as I miss regional ITV, I have to take a step back and wonder what it is I actually miss. The answer is the nostalgia and the warm fuzzy feeling of how lovely telly was back in the day. And I think that goes for most of us here, not least because we're the sort of folk who'd only give a toss about the logos and the idents they'd use.
Yes, there is an element of quality control sacrificed when fifteen different companies aren't trying to one-up each other with programme ideas. But we've got to take off our rose-tinted glasses and understand that this simply no longer works in a world of hundreds of channels and countless streaming services.
Hasn't programming on ITV always been mid to low brow - it's how they made their name.
Blubatt post_id=30708 time= user_id=1559 Wrote:Programming on ITV has been largely light and mid to low brow entertainment, over these last few years. Game Shows, Talent Shows, Cookery Programmes, Lifestyle Progreammes, etc.
To be fair, ITV has had all of this since its inception in 1955. You only have to look at things like New Faces, Double Your Money, Take Your Pick from the 50s, 60s and 70s to see that all these kind of shows are in ITV’s blood.
Do I believe that ITV will change in any way? Probably not. Times are different and it’s just how it is.
ITV do still make many shows out of London, in Manchester of course, they made Top Class for CBBC in Glasgow and I believe Multi Story Media have a unit in Cardiff nowadays. And the regional spirit is still there in the news service, amalgamated and merged somewhat but still there.
ITV is no different to TF1 in France where the prime-time output is targeted at mass audiences. Both do their fair share of talent show guff, but it isn't an issue when the premise of those two channels is to provide output to a wide audience that advertisers can buy spots on.
There is now a whole generation who have grown up only knowing the channel 3 LCN as ITV in England and Wales and those are more likely to watch online to ITV output than linear.
If we take the TF1 example further, they're planning to merge with competitor M6 who both target mass general audiences to ensure they can compete as one company against the likes of Amazon and Netflix in France, the real competition to linear tv rather than other linear services.
The only changes we might see on ITV in the future, is even more cuts, with the ubiquitous presence of streaming services , and so on.
As many have pointed out in this thread , let's not use too rose tinted glasses, things have pretty changed..
London Lite post_id=30717 time= user_id=953 Wrote:ITV is no different to TF1 in France where the prime-time output is targeted at mass audiences. Both do their fair share of talent show guff, but it isn't an issue when the premise of those two channels is to provide output to a wide audience that advertisers can buy spots on.
There is now a whole generation who have grown up only knowing the channel 3 LCN as ITV in England and Wales and those are more likely to watch online to ITV output than linear.
If we take the TF1 example further, they're planning to merge with competitor M6 who both target mass general audiences to ensure they can compete as one company against the likes of Amazon and Netflix in France, the real competition to linear tv rather than other linear services.
What's happening in France is a bit extreme, but yeah, I agree on the rest.
At the end of the day, these were just commercial operations which happened to be regional.
This is not BBC or something public like the Das Dritte ARD channels (which might've been a good model for a regional "sixth" or even fifth channel), ITV is obviously very commercially driven
Do you think that a regionally-based BBC/ITV joint network could work? It could be evenings only like the Scotland channel, and showcase regionally-produced programming (including things like current affairs that have been largely sidelined from both channels) like France 3 or ARD's Das Dritte. Some things such as sport could be simulcast across regions (similar to how the Super League show would broadcast across the North of England), or even nationwide outside of prime time.
A lot of us of a certain age have fond memories of the regional structure but as I said in a similar thread British TV has changed and can never go back.
ITV now is a profits and audience-driven juggernaut that pays lip-service to regionality.
I think people has serious rose tinted spectacles about ITV, it was always profit driven and I'm sure not all programmes they broadcast even back in the day was high brow stuff. For every Upstairs, Downstairs you got The Professionals or The Sweeney.
ITV is in a much better place now than it was 15 years when it was struggling to compete against Sky and now they're content driven with companies all around the world, they've managed to stay relevant.
If anything I’d prefer more regional update rather than a whole regional focus. I remember the days of updates in GMTV, one during This Morning, after the lunchtime news, then mid afternoon before CITV.
Even the current GMB updates seem so short, and could do with at least another one, or have them every half an hour or so, most mornings I wake up at 6:30 and leave around 7:10 and miss them.
Apart from local news, multichannel TV pretty much covers what regional opt-outs can achieve. Also, the small budget and availability in the schedule limits what can be produced, which is why all STV, for example, do is Scotland Tonight and one-off programmes for charities and award ceremonies. They've tried other stuff but it's easily found elsewhere.
Late night is where they could do something, which would be the way to go if each region was to opt out after News at Ten as they wouldn't be interfering with established ITV shows.
STV has found that making programmes for other broadcasters like Antiques Road Trip and Catchphrase is more profitable than making programmes for a local audience.
ITV, like most the main channels at least, have practically given up after the news. I think Peston is the only regular new content after News at Ten, along with monthly-ish editions of On Assignment, Exposure and the regional political shows.
I've always said ITV Local was about a decade too early. If it had come around in the last few years as broadcasters and viewers embraced both the OTT world and the app market more I wonder if it could have made more of an impact with additional local content.