What is the longer term future for the younger skewing channels like ITV2, E4 and BBC3? ITV2 and E4 really seem to be struggling with no hit returning series other than the annual Love Island. All the rest of it's original series are flops. Now ITV2 is repeating primetime ITV series in primetime at 9pm. Some weeks Catchphrase is nearly it's biggest show. ITV2 could also lose schedule fillers like Family Guy and American Dad to Disney+ soon?
E4 also seems to be struggling. It seems like with the recent acquisition of Big Brother Australia it's a case of throw everything at the wall to see if anything sticks but nothing much seems to be sticking other than MAFS and MAFS Australia. E4 used to rely on US acquisitions but there seems to be a lack of US hit series on broadcast and other series going to their streaming services.
5STAR seems to have veered away from targeting a youth audience to a more female centered channel with various medical factual series and Judge Judy.
zeebre12 post_id=68244 time= user_id=1289 Wrote:ITV2 could also lose schedule fillers like Family Guy and American Dad to Disney+ soon?
That's about as likely as Channel 4 losing The Simpsons. Not happening. They may have to wait longer to air new episodes (with Disney+ releasing them first), but they won't lose them outright.
zeebre12 post_id=68244 time= user_id=1289 Wrote:5STAR seems to have veered away from targeting a youth audience to a more female centered channel with various medical factual series and Judge Judy.
That's what 5Star was originally when it first launched as Five Life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5Star
E4 seem to be happy filling primetime with Gogglebox and Naked Attraction repeats, alongside some stripped shows earlier in the evening, whilst leaving new content to the middle of the night - they've a new Adult Swim series starting at 1.50am tomorrow.
Before BBC Three moved online I watched it daily. Top Gear, Russell Howard, Sun Sex and suspicious parents, Family Guy and American dad and etc etc. when it returned. Nothing I would watch. It’s not the same
Itv2 I would watch new family guy and plebs
E4. They shown the Cleveland show I watched it a bit
I think people forget that TV production was heavily hit by Covid, with productions re-scheduled worldwide, which is still causing nightmares arranging talent, crew, studios etc. This is the impact you're seeing on TV and on streaming services at the moment.
If productions have been made over the last year or two they have probably been prioritised for the main bouquet of channels BBC One, ITV, Channel 4 not the sister digital channels that can rely on more repeats. The priority for the main channels will be maintaining the large viewing figures to bring in ad revenue (e.g. ITV/Channel 4) or big numbers to justify its remit (e.g. BBC).
As younger audiences are smaller they can be de-prioritised and their broadcasting space filled by old or international imports.
Long term, BBC Three is an interesting channel to watch as the return to linear TV was quick and I imagine new content wasn't even planned whilst proposals were in sign off (just after Covid).
I imagine BBC Three will flourish over time with a new identity for a new younger audience but we will have to give the BBC some slack in padding out the channel with new content.
E4 however is a sorry state and a shadow of its old form, to be honest Channel 4 does nothing for me either. ITV2 goes through an identity crisis every few years so suspect it will change a bit next year.