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ITV threatens to drop news - Printable Version

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ITV threatens to drop news - Kojak - 13-12-2022

Saw this in the ITVX thread and thought it warranted its own:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/dec/06/itv-could-drop-news-pledge-unless-ministers-offer-help-against-streamers?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter 

I am not at all convinced that this will lead anywhere - rather this is brinkmanship designed to force the government to get their backsides into gear. After all, it seems to be a truism that if ITV ask Ofcom to jump, the response is always ‘how high?’. 

But what about if the unthinkable did happen? Would the government put the franchises back out to tender (something I know one or two here dream about)? Would Channels 4 and/or 5 pick up the slack left by ITV?

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - Neil Jones - 13-12-2022

ITV has threatened to drop everything at some point. This isn't new.
Everything ITV has ever done or has the pleasure of, they've threatened to drop, stop or generally had a good moan about - you usually see this sort of stuff around the time of the automatic renewals.


And no, the franchises will not be put back out to tender 1991 style. That's happened, its gone, its never happening again. The chances of ITV throwing all its toys out the pram just not to want to produce any news is totally overkill. All that will happen is they'll go to Ofcom, cap in hand and come to a compromise - which is code for less output.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - XIII - 13-12-2022

(13-12-2022, 04:38 PM)Neil Jones Wrote:  ITV has threatened to drop everything at some point.  This isn't new.
Everything ITV has ever done or has the pleasure of, they've threatened to drop, stop or generally had a good moan about - you usually see this sort of stuff around the time of the automatic renewals.


And no, the franchises will not be put back out to tender 1991 style.  That's happened, its gone, its never happening again.  The chances of ITV throwing all its toys out the pram just not to want to produce any news is totally overkill.  All that will happen is they'll go to Ofcom, cap in hand and come to a compromise - which is code for less output.

This is the same ITV that extended their evening news to an hour, I imagine the threat is an empty one and they'll get current affairs hours reduced by Ofcom.

I agree, the franchise model isn't coming back. It's 2022, not 1992.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - Andrew - 13-12-2022

If you read the article nothing they said actually mentions dropping News specifically.

It says if they don’t retain prominence then they would stop being a PSB, meaning they could show as much or as little news, and everything else such as requirements for regional production etc as they like.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - eyeTV - 13-12-2022

Seems fair enough to me. The PSB's do need prominence. They invest in UK production & the regions of the UK. It's in the UK's interests to maintain this in the face of the multi-nationals Netflix, Amazon, Disney etc.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - KrazyKei - 13-12-2022

I don't believe this will lead to anything.

ITV will keep their PSB licenses for the next ten years but after that, well anything can happen. I'd be curious as to how ITVX performs in the next ten years and I think that will depend on whether it becomes successful to the point where they might not want the PSB licenses.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - Neil Jones - 13-12-2022

(13-12-2022, 08:40 PM)KrazyKei Wrote:  I don't believe this will lead to anything.

ITV will keep their PSB licenses for the next ten years but after that, well anything can happen. I'd be curious as to how ITVX performs in the next ten years and I think that will depend on whether it becomes successful to the point where they might not want the PSB licenses.

The ITV Licences are auto renewed, which is in the legislation (1990 Broadcasting act)).

Makes you wonder though, if these licences are now auto renewed what do ITV have to do hypothetically to not get them renewed in 2034?

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - JMT1985 - 13-12-2022

ITV will never abandon news - it would be the worst PR move for them.

Even in the US, where the big networks provide their nightly news programmes, even though news rarely makes a profit for them on the mainstream channels of NBC, CBS and ABC. They never threaten to dump their nightly news programmes, and they are in a far more commercialised arena than UK channels here.

It was said by George Russell who ran the weak as dish water Independent Television Commission in 1991, that the franchise round which happened then would never ever happen in the same way again.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - Brekkie - 13-12-2022

It's the same with them dropping Channel 3 too. The Netflix BARB figures show as much as streaming is growing it's still some way off linear ratings for individual programmes at least, and even if they were able to retain channel 6 on Freeview and could move the channel there it isn't a certainty viewers would follow them considering some seem to struggle to switch from BBC1 to BBC2.


It is an interesting "what if" though that if it did happen and either C4, Paramount, Sky, Discovery or UKTV were to find themselves running the Channel 3 licence (outside of Scotland anyway) how they might fill that schedule. With some difficulty is probably the answer assuming ITV keep their biggest shows for themselves.

RE: ITV threatens to drop news - Rijowhi - 14-12-2022

(13-12-2022, 05:12 PM)XIII Wrote:  
(13-12-2022, 04:38 PM)Neil Jones Wrote:  ITV has threatened to drop everything at some point.  This isn't new.
Everything ITV has ever done or has the pleasure of, they've threatened to drop, stop or generally had a good moan about - you usually see this sort of stuff around the time of the automatic renewals.


And no, the franchises will not be put back out to tender 1991 style.  That's happened, its gone, its never happening again.  The chances of ITV throwing all its toys out the pram just not to want to produce any news is totally overkill.  All that will happen is they'll go to Ofcom, cap in hand and come to a compromise - which is code for less output.

This is the same ITV that extended their evening news to an hour, I imagine the threat is an empty one and they'll get current affairs hours reduced by Ofcom.

I agree, the franchise model isn't coming back. It's 2022, not 1992.

Yes that’s my viewpoint too. ITV’s PSB responsibilities will probably be reduced (again) in 2024. I believe ITV have also spoke of their responsibilities being shared around their Platform/Channels. I don’t think this is the right approach as the licence is for Channel 3. We may see less News produced for the main channel with more updates on ITVX though…