What Will Happen to Network TV?

[wamdue]

ITV has earned my eternal wrath for cancelling Primeval, but like the American commercial broadcast channels, is sinking down the crapper. So much so, the UK government are starting to fund it.

as if they did not already fund it by the back door, without all the advertising it does.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

ITV has earned my eternal wrath for cancelling Primeval, but like the American commercial broadcast channels, is sinking down the crapper. So much so, the UK government are starting to fund it.

as if they did not already fund it by the back door, without all the advertising it does.

I don't get the need for it either, I mean they're limiting the amount they can charge for the ads, stop limiting it and then they shouldn't need the money.

 

[wamdue]

there is a strong case for the relaxation of that rule, however im not sure with the advertising industry tanking generally and even more so on TV, it would help ITV that much.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

there is a strong case for the relaxation of that rule, however im not sure with the advertising industry tanking generally and even more so on TV, it would help ITV that much.

Why start subsidising them when they're not even allowed to live up to their market potential in the first place?
If they're going to subsidise local news they should subsidise local news, not ITV, if they're going to subsidise programming, they should have it be totally separate from the BBC or in partnership with them, rather than taking money away from them.

 

[wamdue]

I guess taking money from the BBC, to give to ITV for regional news is an easier sell than giving ITV extra money for it, I dont think people would like the idea that they are paying both a licence fee for the BBC, and money being given from general tax to ITV.

I do agree, they should let ITV sell some ads at there true value, im just not sure that it enough.

as for BBC Licence fee money going to ITV for regional news, if you have seen any of my posts across media websites, and my e:mail to the BBC Trust I am livid at the idea that ITV is getting money to do something that it should be funding itself, in a few years time ITV will get the Channel 3 Licence for £0, which gives me a VERY favourable EPG slot, and gifted space on which they have built there freeview offerings. On top of that they will also get money to make the shows that they are meant to make in order to keep the Channel 3 Licence, its like ITV is being paid to do once what it paid us to allow it to do.

If it were up to me ITV would loose the Channel 3 Licence, and I think the fact that ITV is doing everything it can to keep it, but get rid of the stuff they dont like about it, tells me is worth ALOT more to them then they are letting on.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^Well basically that seems to be ITV's threat if they don't get their way. They give up their PSB licence, which loses them the £40m subsidy in the form of the Channel 3 Licence...

 

[wamdue]

to be frank I would call ITVs bluff, I am that sure that they want to hold on to "3" and the freeview space, even with recent talk of ITV 2, 3 & 4 moving to Sky, lets see how well ITV 1 was on Channel 51, which I believe is the next avabile number on Freeview. (unless they reshuffle the BBC, C4 & Five channels to take the numbers of ITVs channels, so ITV 1, 2,3 & 4 would get slightly lower numbers)