Comments on: ITV1′s scheduling reel

By: Glenn Aylett

Glenn Aylett — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:23:19 +0000

A case of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. ITV1 is in such deep trouble now all they can do is move soaps around rather than think of anything new. Emmerdale on some nights struggles to get 5 million viewers as people are sick of it being on so much and Corrie is a big turn off for male and Southern viewers. About time the bosses of ITV1 stopped pandering to soap addicts and reality show viewers and showed something that men and better educated viewers want to watch.

By: Stuart F

Stuart F — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:52:52 +0000

STV is bizarre. Last night they failed to show new comedy drama Monday Monday at 9pm (maybe they feel it would be better on another night of the week) but at 1030 they showed incredibly depressing garbage-strike-themed art movie Ratcatcher (which is brilliant but hardly mainstream viewing).

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:41:29 +0000

I wish they’d stop running six half-hours of Emmerdale every week, there’s no reason for it at all, it’s only because they can. Even my mum’s sick of it, and she’s an Emmerdale fan.

This schedule is a bit of a mess now, I don’t know why they don’t put Corrie back on Sundays, as now you’ve got three episodes within 25 hours from 8.30pm on Thursday to 9pm on Friday. This schedule might help ITV win Thursdays but it’s going to make Tuesdays and Wednesdays look very weak – in the case of the former, even weaker than usual.

STV’s opt-outs are a joke, they say it’s to make more room for Scottish programming, but by a strange coincidence they’re opting out of all the drama – The Bill, Kingdom, Lewis, all that – but not all the cheap rubbish like Ladette to Lady. But it’s not based on cost grounds, oh no. It’s said that they’ve fallen out with ITV because they’re dropping Taggart, but if STV had more than one programme, that might not have been so much of a problem.

By: Chris Allen

Chris Allen — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:06:36 +0000

“We’re delighted that Thursday evenings on ITV1 will be a great showcase for soap from Weatherfield and the Woolpack”

I’m not.

Still, ITV1 is a channel I no longer watch anyway, so any changes to their scheduling make no difference anyway.

By: Applemask

Applemask — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:05:08 +0000

Is the Emmerdale thing permanent? Two episodes on Thursday, every Thursday until we die?

By: Dan Thornton

Dan Thornton — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:31:49 +0000

STV have been opting out of loads of network drama recently, and lobbing on repeats of Taggart and Gregory’s Girl instead. I doubt they’re going to go back on dropping The Bill.

Just yet.

By: Rob Williams

Rob Williams — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:14:44 +0000

Hmm, it seems ok. But, when there is no football what will it do then?

Perhaps its the last throw of the dice, but maybe it the Grade magic working again…

By: Ian Jones

Ian Jones — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:10:34 +0000

STV has just said it’s – ooh – opting out of this new network schedule and is planning to show regional stuff instead of The Bill. It’s like Bruce Gyngell and Hollywood Lovers all over again. Well, a little. It does smack of a PR stunt, though, and I’m sure there’ll be a convenient “last minute change of heart” 24 hours before The Bill Late’n'Lewd is due to start.

By: Jon Haw

Jon Haw — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:55:06 +0000

Slightly off-topic, but it’s related to Emmerdale/Corrie…

I read the other day that Ofcom have just changed the rules on commercial breaks for “public service broadcasters” such as ITV meaning that they can now, in theory, broadcast TWO commercial breaks in 30 minute programmes, instead of the traditional single centre break. So they could, if they wished, insert an additional break in both 30 minute episodes of Emmerdale and Coronation St, remove the break between the two shows, and create a seamless “soap hour” between 7 and 8pm, with Emmerdale leading directly into Corrie, then perhaps Corrie leading straight into an 8pm show, which would benefit from The Street’s large audience.

Do you reckon ITV will ever make use of these new rules to do something like that?