AllWillBeWell
Unregistered
Stanley Matravers post_id=9462 time=1619616418 user_id=1435 Wrote:ITV plc threatening to hand back their PSB licence(s) is a bit of a "broken record" situation. I'll only believe it if/when it actually ever happens.
They've obviously been to the Louis Walsh school of "This year is my final series as an X Factor judge"... ?
Didn't ITV a while back state they are starting to merge departments and re-organise with a focus on digital output?
Quote:“Our new Media and Entertainment Division will enable ITV to continue to deliver mass, live audiences while investing in the future to create the sort of content and viewing experience that younger, and other harder to reach viewers want.
“ITV will continue to broadcast shows which entertain millions of viewers. Most are watched live and that fact together with the scale of these audiences will continue to offer unrivalled opportunities for brands to reach consumers. Linear channels will be around and be profitable for many years but we also need an On-Demand business which will increasingly be the focus of our new investments in content and technology and which will be our growth engine attracting younger and more targeted audiences to ITV.”
ITV also plans to reduce its London office space over the coming years to reflect the changing needs of the business in the context of its digital transformation and the move towards more flexible working as well as taking cost out of the business. At this stage no decision about exactly what this means for ITV’s current London offices has been made as the company assesses the sort of space needed to support the business in the future.
https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-re...ing-habits
Do ITV want the option of closing down linear channels altogether at some stage I wonder and to enable this could ditch the PSB license, or is this even a requirement to have channels as a PSB? Could they do it all over VOD and still meet the requriements?
I think the whole area of regulations and so on around the PSBs does need updated to be honest. For instance why are ITV and the PSBs obligated to spend certain amounts in the indie sector, yet other commercial channels are not? That rule seems quite outdated to me.
With regards to them leaving Channel 3, I agree it is highly unlikely. And in any case I think national news would always be safe as it draws good audiences and the reputational benefits are huge.
ITV Region: ITV News Central
BBC Region: BBC Midlands Today
X1 post_id=9475 time=1619619893 user_id=959 Wrote:I think the whole area of regulations and so on around the PSBs does need updated to be honest. For instance why are ITV and the PSBs obligated to spend certain amounts in the indie sector, yet other commercial channels are not? That rule seems quite outdated to me.
The PSB channels have the lion's share of the viewership and they get perks because of that. It used to be the case (so far as ITV was concerned) that the vast chunk of all programmes were made by the network companies themselves. If you had a production company, Chunky TV Productions for example, you would often struggle to get your material on ITV. Not impossible, but hard.
When Channel 4 came along it opened up the Indie sector, since there was a shiny new channel that needed content, since Channel 4 were not going to (and still don't) make anything themselves. The indie requirement was later applied to ITV and the whole "25% out of London" thing too.
As to obligations, well goes with the territory. If you get the lion's share of the viewership you should air things that tick PSB boxes. A bit of creative thinking will tick them all relatively easily. The recent BBC One programme about climate change with the teenage activist ticks a lot of boxes in that regard, but didn't win the ratings for its slot - it was never going to.
ITV Region: ---None Selected---
BBC Region: ---None Selected---
Inspector Sands post_id=9459 time=1619615524 user_id=1003 Wrote:Cassia Tuna post_id=9443 time=1619609652 user_id=1506 Wrote:Awful news. If this does actually happen then linear television as we know it is well and truly dead. If ITV cannot make anything of it, then what chance do other broadcasters stand? I can't read the article as its paywalled, but not being a public service broadcaster doesn't mean not being a linear broadcaster at all.
Other broadcasters don't have the sort of commitments that ITV have and which they want to get rid of. If this did happen then of course they'd stay as a linear channel, they've too big an audience not to be The TBI link isn't but essentially it's the same as always - and more a call by ITV to level the playing field rather than them wanting to leave it.
@Brekkietweets
Neil Jones post_id=9449 time=1619611136 user_id=961 Wrote:This comes up regularly, bear in mind the licences are due for early renewal next year and IIRC they "threatened" this 10 years ago for the current licences.
The concept of a franchise round 1991 style isn't going to happen. We're not going to go from one major company to 16 smaller ones. If the licences are due for renewal next year it would make sense to scrap the separate 'breakfast licence', to allow whoever operates the Channel 3 licence for the rest of the day to own it (i.e. ITV & STV). Maybe going further and replacing the multiple regional licences with just 5 licences - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Channel Islands. I dare say something like this might suit ITV Plc, especially if nation licences allowed them to get away with just one England specific news programme a day (and another couple for Wales & NI) instead of having to produce multiple English regional news programmes.
As others have commented this feels more like positioning themselves ahead of licence renewal negotiations, and deterring any tighter regulations. It's safe to say we're extremely unlikely to see That's TV suddenly occupying the Channel 3 slot.
Formerly 'Charlie Wells' of TVForum.
eyeTV post_id=9452 time=1619611469 user_id=1517 Wrote:It's not really surprising given that global streamers are on the scene now without any regulatory requirement. The PSB regulation probably does need some review in light of this.
The full details are set out in the article below
https://tbivision.com/2021/04/28/uks-itv...t-reforms/
A very measured and informed statement from ITV.
ITV Region: ITV News Central
BBC Region: BBC Midlands Today
The breakfast licence is a legacy thing from 1983, it's probably not going anywhere any time soon while the current licence is around. If its going anywhere it'll probably be from the start of the new licences from 2025 onwards, but I suspect its more complicated than just saying don't broadcast 6-9:25 anymore, as it would be Ofcom withdrawing the option as opposed to the broadcaster making enough of a sin to justify revoking it in the first place.
To humour ITV's threat for a moment, I wonder where this might leave Wales. Just last month a cross-party Senedd enquiry unanimously backed more powers on Broadcasting to be devolved, and one of the recommendations was:
Quote:A requirement for the Channel 3 licence (held by ITV) in Wales to produce a greater proportion of network content in Wales, and an enhanced role for the Welsh government in setting the terms of the next Wales Channel 3 licence
If this became the case it could make more sense for ITV to relinquish Channel 3 Wales and offer a spun off ITV Wales a long term affiliate agreement similar to STV.
ITV Region: ---None Selected---
BBC Region: ---None Selected---
I doubt the licence may be scrapped but their might be an attempt to rejig it's timing to finish at 9am (can't see STV agreeing to 10am).
@Brekkietweets
Keith post_id=9482 time=1619622441 user_id=1115 Wrote:Neil Jones post_id=9449 time=1619611136 user_id=961 Wrote:This comes up regularly, bear in mind the licences are due for early renewal next year and IIRC they "threatened" this 10 years ago for the current licences.
The concept of a franchise round 1991 style isn't going to happen. We're not going to go from one major company to 16 smaller ones. If the licences are due for renewal next year it would make sense to scrap the separate 'breakfast licence', to allow whoever operates the Channel 3 licence for the rest of the day to own it (i.e. ITV & STV). Maybe going further and replacing the multiple regional licences with just 5 licences - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Channel Islands. I dare say something like this might suit ITV Plc, especially if nation licences allowed them to get away with just one England specific news programme a day (and another couple for Wales & NI) instead of having to produce multiple English regional news programmes.
As others have commented this feels more like positioning themselves ahead of licence renewal negotiations, and deterring any tighter regulations. It's safe to say we're extremely unlikely to see That's TV suddenly occupying the Channel 3 slot.
The chances of ITV giving up the PSB requirement are in my opinion zero.
We have seen a variation of an "ITV England At Six" with UK Today in the late 1990's and early 2000's but that was due to the inability of the BBC at the time of not being able to broadcast regional bulletins on Satellite.
Besides which what would happen to the ITV News At 6.30. If we did have 5 licences instead of the 16 we currently have then many stories would be duplicated.
<t>An Autie but not a naughty.</t>
Neil Jones post_id=9480 time=1619622111 user_id=961 Wrote:X1 post_id=9475 time=1619619893 user_id=959 Wrote:I think the whole area of regulations and so on around the PSBs does need updated to be honest. For instance why are ITV and the PSBs obligated to spend certain amounts in the indie sector, yet other commercial channels are not? That rule seems quite outdated to me.
The PSB channels have the lion's share of the viewership and they get perks because of that. It used to be the case (so far as ITV was concerned) that the vast chunk of all programmes were made by the network companies themselves. If you had a production company, Chunky TV Productions for example, you would often struggle to get your material on ITV. Not impossible, but hard.
When Channel 4 came along it opened up the Indie sector, since there was a shiny new channel that needed content, since Channel 4 were not going to (and still don't) make anything themselves. The indie requirement was later applied to ITV and the whole "25% out of London" thing too.
As to obligations, well goes with the territory. If you get the lion's share of the viewership you should air things that tick PSB boxes. A bit of creative thinking will tick them all relatively easily. The recent BBC One programme about climate change with the teenage activist ticks a lot of boxes in that regard, but didn't win the ratings for its slot - it was never going to. Yes but what I was getting at was are the perks outweighing the obligations.
I suppose this whole debate goes to one thing - should TV broadcasters be treated differently in relation to streamers as viewers move from one to the other and it becomes the latter with the lions share of viewing. I think this time ITV's call for change is reasonable and not just a threat to extract favours from Ofcom, I imagine CRR would be brought up if that were the case
James Martin
Unregistered
There could be a real opportunity here to solve the Scottish Six question though. What if STV were allowed to do their own (inter)national news but use packages and reports from ITN, like local radio stations do with Sky/IRN. An STV News Hour with national, UK and World news, with an opt out from 6.30-6.55 for legacy sub regions of STV and Grampian?
Hmm. That's an interesting idea. A "World News Scotland" would certainly give STV and Grampian (and possibly Border North) a more specific situation. I can see HTV doing the same with a "World News Wales".
<t>An Autie but not a naughty.</t>
A reminder that in February ITV CEO Carolyn McCall described ITV’s news- and especially regional news- as the channel’s “crown jewel”. We can be cynical about the timing of her comment given Ofcom’s PSB review, but I don’t remember previous CEOs saying that.
James Martin
Unregistered
If we wanted to see some joined up thinking you could have ITV agree a deal to acquire STV.
Holyrood could agree not to kick off in exchange for certain concessions - Home nations do their own UK/World news bulletins, commitments to X amount of programming for the nations, commitment to produce content for the network in the nations, stuff like that. Maybe even a requirement to put out a full news service on English bank holidays, if it's not a holiday in that nation.
ITV get the benefit of scale having access to Scotland provides, in return they have to make certain commitments to maintain their PSB offerings and look after all the nations.
I wonder if that's why a purchase hasn't happened yet; Scotland is always seen as "a special case" far more than Wales or NI are. I don't mind the nations being "a special case" but they should all be equally special.
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