ITV\'s D-Day: Q&A about ITV future
 

MUCH-loved telly shows are under threat as ITV prepares to axe up to 700 jobs today.

X Factor and Coronation Street could be hit as the broadcaster battles to stay afloat.

ITV chief Michael Grade will announce the cuts this morning. He is expected to reveal revenues have plunged 15 per cent in a year as fewer advertisers spend money on TV.

Insiders said ITV must cut at least £30million off its annual programming budget of £1billion.

It will struggle to renew X Factor judge Simon Cowell’s £20million golden handcuffs deal when it runs out in December.

Favourites Ant and Dec — also on a £20million exclusive deal — have already hinted they may not stay.

Flagship soaps Corrie and Emmerdale will have production budgets slashed by about five per cent — hitting stars’ salaries. Coronation Street will halt filming today to watch the annual results meeting via a live link.

Wild At Heart may be shelved despite drawing nearly nine million viewers — because filming the drama in South Africa is too expensive.


The show, starring Stephen Tompkinson, was expected to start shooting again in summer, but a source said: “Who knows what will happen?”

ITV may also be forced to close its Leeds studios, keeping only the Emmerdale set. It has already announced it is shelving Yorkshire-based Heartbeat and The Royal.

ITV cut 1,000 jobs last year. It is struggling with a £2.6billion pension fund and debt burden.

Around half of all admin staff are expected to get the chop.

The heads of little-watched ITV3 and ITV4 are set to be made redundant, while telly boss Peter Fincham is expected to get a bigger job overseeing all channels and programme production.

Gerry Morrissey, head of union Bectu, threatened strikes. He called ITV staff “the most demoralised workforce in British television”.

ITV wants to sell off Friends Reunited website and its ITN stake.

Last week it was revealed that ITV had drawn up a plan to merge with Channel 4 and Channel Five.

Leeds is not under threat.

The Most Jobs 450 - Go in Grays Inn Road London.

150 jobs go in Yorkshire.

On Every News Channel now.

Jeff Randall on Sky News at 7:30PM
talks to the ITV CEO Grade tonight.

It is a Cut Back
due to ITV mergers some years ago.

On Radio 5 Live
a ITV boss said they do not have Direct Debit
like the BBC have.
So cuts will help ITV keep going.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ing-drive.html

So they aint gonna close down the Leeds studios then?

* 600 jobs to go after ITV unveils £2.7bn loss
* Huge cut-backs in a bid to save £245million
* Sharpe, Heartbeat, The Royal, Wire In The Blood dumped
* This Morning could be taken off air over the summer
* Friends Reunited website will be sold off

ITV spending on prime-time dramas is to be slashed in the biggest cutbacks in the broadcaster's 54-year history.

Shows including Sharpe and Wire In The Blood have been dumped as it seeks to save £245million over the next three years.

The broadcaster has been crippled by a massive slump in advertising revenue and could even shelve its flagship This Morning show over the summer.

ITV's attempt to make savings were revealed as it announced a £2.7billion loss for last year and a fresh round of job cuts.

Some 600 posts, or 15 per cent of the workforce, will go.

Sean Bean as Sharpe

No comeback: Swashbuckling hero Sharpe, played by Sean Bean, will not be returning to ITV's schedule as it aims to make huge savings

Networking website Friends Reunited, which was bought for £120million in 2005, will be sold off as well as the online directory Scoot, and the shareholders' dividends have been suspended.

Programme budgets will be cut by £135million over the next two years, with drama production dropping from eight hours a week to seven.

Unions claim its drastic bid to cut costs will result in a main studio in Leeds being mothballed, with only Emmerdale made at the Yorkshire base.

It will lose 150 jobs as part of the latest cuts, with the rest mostly hitting employees in London.

One worker arriving at the Leeds studio today said: 'It's pretty gloomy in there but we'll have to wait and see what happens. No one has been told what jobs are going yet.'

Even long-standing shows such as The Bill will be affected but the cut-backs, with its slot moved from 8pm to 9pm and one less episode a week.
Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield

Rest? This Morning could go off air this summer instead of usual presenters Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield being replaced as normal

The changes mean the broadcaster's schedule will be dominated by 'feelgood' or reality entertainment, and are a total shift from chairman Michael Grade's vision of taking ITV upmarket.

He promised in September 2007 when he took over that he would give the company a 'major facelift' with fewer repeats and more long-running drama series.

Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of the broadcasting workers' union Bectu, said he was 'outraged' at the plans.

'We will do everything we can to protect our members and we will protest to Ofcom about ITV's claim to be investing more in programmes when they are cutting back,' he said.

'Michael Grade has abrogated his responsibility to ITV's staff. We desperately need a new management model.'

The union claimed the moves would see one-off drama programmes planned from this autumn would now be shelved.

Cuts: The iconic ITV show Heartbeat has been axed after almost 20 years

Cuts: The iconic ITV show Heartbeat has been axed after almost 20 years

The Royal

Savings: Heartbeat spin-off The Royal, is also to be culled

ITV has struggled thanks to the collapse in advertising due to the recession but also because of increased competition, especially from the internet and digital channels.

It has been forced into a massive write-down in the value of its broadcasting and online businesses and breakfast division GMTV.

Even excluding their plunging value, the company's pre-tax profits for last year were almost half those in 2007 - down 41 per cent at £167million.

Media experts said the broadcaster was facing huge challenges responding to the massive shifts in media spending in the online age.

Martin McNulty of online marketing agency Trafficbroker, said: 'The shrink in ad revenues at ITV isn't simply the result of a global deterioration in the economy, but reflects a fundamental change in the mindset of advertisers.

'ITV's biggest competitor, these days, is Google and that's a major cause for concern.'

The broadcaster predicts advertising revenue will be down 17 per cent in the first quarter of this year. It expects to outperform the total market in April, when revenue is forecast to be down 20 per cent.

It is seeking efficiency savings of £155 million this year, rising to £175 million in 2010 and £245 million in 2011
X Factor final

Dumbing down: The cutbacks will see ITV rely far more heavily on reality entertainment shows such as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent

Mr Grade said the latest cuts were down to the 'short-term horrors' of the recession, which have seen advertising revenues fall off a cliff.

He said: 'The tough actions we are taking have to be seen against that backdrop. These are unprecedented and extremely difficult times. We have to be focused more on our core business.'

The current conditions in the advertising market were the 'most challenging' he had experienced in more than 30 years in UK broadcasting, he added.

But he insisted the cut-backs would ensure ITV was well placed once the economy picks up again.

'Even in these difficult times, we should not lose sight of the progress the business has made.

'We are continuing to deliver our advertisers mass audiences night after night and are holding our share of audience and of television advertising.'

The broadcaster was today refusing to give details of the drama series which will be affected by the cuts, but many have already been shelved.

Heartbeat and its spin-off The Royal have been axed and new series Wire in the Blood and a remake of A Passage to India dumped.

Sean Bean's swashbuckling hero Sharpe will also not return due to the expense of filming abroad. A new show had originally been slated for South America.

The schedule will focus instead on proven hits including Britain's Got Talent, The X-Factor, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and I'm a Celebrity.

Flagship daytime show This Morning could also be taken off air this summer to save money.

Traditionally hosts Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton take seven to eight weeks off during the period and are replaced by stand-ins.

But insiders have admitted to the extraordinary plans to take the programme off air during the quiet summer months.
ITV executive chairman Michael Grade

Tough job: ITV executive chairman Michael Grade

An ITV source said: 'We are looking everywhere to make savings. Daytime programming is going to take a hit.

'The summer period is traditionally very quiet – in the current climate it is perhaps not worth running This Morning when it is so quiet.’

It is understood the broadcaster will fill the two-hour slot between 10.30am and 12.30pm with repeats of classic drama.

The show has been on air since 1988, starting off in Liverpool with then-unknown presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan.

It moved to London in the late 1990s and became more focused on celebrity. Richard and Judy left in 2001.

Britton started guest-hosting on Fridays with John Leslie, who was replaced by Phillip Schofield in 2002 after which they became the main mosts.

Viewing figures reached a high of two million viewers daily but after Richard and Judy’s departure, they dipped to around one million.

Bosses have even proposed plans to the Government which could see ITV merge with Five and Channel 4.

There are also claims it could ditch a digital channel, either ITV4 or CiTV, and replaced it with a delayed broadcast of ITV1.

Meanwhile, ITV's pension deficit is growing by the year. It rose to £178million last year, up from £112million in 2007.

Its latest accounts reveal the board was paid almost £2.9million in 2008, including £100,000 for former HBOS chief and City adviser to the Government, Sir James Crosby, who worked for around 20 days as a non-executive director.

But executive director pay was frozen and there were no bonuses. Mr Grade was paid £934,000 last year but did not receive a bonus.

Today, he confirmed Heartbeat and The Royal were not being recommissioned but insisted ITV was not giving up on drama altogether.

He said: 'We will be winding down our stock position. Basically we already have two years of Heartbeat and Royal on the shelves so there is no point in making any more at the moment.

'We currently produce eight hours a week of original drama and that will come down to seven. This will not damage our ability to steam ahead when conditions turn around.'

They Moth Ball it
and keep one section open for Local News.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009...itv-television



If times get better
they will open it up again.

Im sure things will get better, ITV was bound to suffer during this as they make their own TV unlike most other channels

Thats one area that is changing
as other groups make shows cheaper.


There is talk that This Morning on ITV 1
will be taken off air in the summer.
That will Anger
Eamon of Sky News as he stands in
on that gig.

It will then return in Winter.


And New Episodes of the Royal and Heartbeat
are waiting to be shown over the next 2 years
then they end.

Yeah, Wild at Heart should go IMO, the location filming for that must cost a bomb

But that is also Quality
in ITVHD on FreesatHD.


Maybe they will do a Live Big Brother type Daytime show
as that is cheap.
Just make sure they have lots of tasks.
Which Endemol/Ch4 do not do enough of.

They should axe either ITV3 or ITV4

Move the JLC show to ITV1, also move some American drama's to the 9pm slots, such as Supernatural and Dexter

They are getting out of Drama
during this New Labour Depression

They said more Entertainment shows due.



No ITV3 and 4 show The Prisoner
and other good old ones
and Unlike BBC3 they are 24 hours, or near enough on.


The BBC should get rid of BBC3
as that is the same all repeats.
New shows do not need BBC3
chuck them on BBC2.

Then we would get a 2 pound refund
each month.

Get rid of CITV. Horrid Henry is S**T!!!

No they need that (CITV)for those that hate CBBC one armed
lady that scares some kids.

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/foru...php?tid=108869

If ITV do axe a channel it should be ITV3. It's all mainly drama repeats - something which I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of on ITV1. They could get rid of Men and Motors as well.

CiTV should replace the axed daytime shows on ITV, get ITV1 back to the old model of having kids daytime shows to riva CBBC

Yeah, the ITV3 shows could be moved over to ITV1 to fill the empty slots

and Wild at Heart needs to go really, its lost a lot of the original cast already, its good ITV have seen that...perhaps they could bring it back when ITV stablises itself again

No they are not going to do that.
The Funding changed when ads got changed.
End of Story.

I agree, they used to have really good shows as well such as Bernad's Watch.

The only channel they may axe
is Men and Motors.


ITV3 repeats is wanted by many.

I think it could still be done though, I mean, whats currently in its slot? Midsomer Murders?

No do you not understand why they got it off
of ITV1
the ads for kids went under a new law
so the funding for ITV1 went overnight.

No way will it return to ITV1
as for what is on now
that changes soon as they are repeats.

Ah I see.....its a shame its gone though

Its a shame I would of liked BGT to go, that way it leaves the path to BB Victory clear:cloud:

This shows that reality television is very important for tv channels during these times... Channel 4 need to invest into BB this year. They need it. It is a cheap show!

Nooooooo they can't axe This Morning in the summer I won't let them :bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawl ing::bawling:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ing-drive.html


Sorry Tom
I got the info from here.

It's not surprising ITV's in the crapper it hasn't had any new good hits in ages, they rely too much on bad copies of other programs.

Not surprising, most of ITV's shows flop anyway. They must lose loadss.

HOW SOON WILL I SEE A DIFFERENCE AS A VIEWER?

ITV hopes you won't notice very much. Some regional news bulletins have been cut, but News at Ten will soon be on five nights a week rather than four.

ITV's idea is to protect its programmes by cutting costs in a way that won't be seen on the screen. That's why it's closing the main Leeds studio - and moving Countdown, made by Granada for Channel 4, to Manchester - because it says it can't afford to maintain two large studios in the north of England.

Even so, it is cutting £65 million off its network programme budget and that could mean more repeats.

IF ITV IS SHORT OF MONEY WILL THERE BE MORE ADVERTS?

Character from The Bill
The Bill will lose one of its two weekly hour long episodes
Selling more adverts doesn't really help. In fact it makes things worse because the more airtime there is, the less advertisers have to pay for their slots. But peak-time programmes already carry as much advertising as they're allowed.

One way ITV is getting round it is by selling sponsorship and it would also like to introduce "product placement", where companies pay for their products to be seen in programmes. Culture Secretary Andy Burnham is against that - but ITV is still lobbying the government to relax the rules.

WILL THERE BE FEWER EPISODES OF CORONATION STREET AND EMMERDALE?

Not of those programmes - because they pay their way. They get big audiences and lots of advertising even now.

But The Bill is being cut back to one episode a week, which will reduce its production costs.

ITV is looking at every possible way of making programmes more efficiently.

WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMME WILL SUFFER?
Dancing on Ice contestants
Dancing on Ice is one of the big entertainment shows doing well for ITV

It's expected that one hour a week of drama programming will be cut. Expensive dramas such as the star-laden adaptation of a A Passage to India have been cut.

Sharpe and Wire In The Blood are not expected to return. Heartbeat and The Royal are being "rested" after the current production run because lots of episodes have already been made. Arts series The South Bank Show may get fewer slots.

But middling sorts of shows could also suffer because they don't attract a big enough audience and aren't cheap enough to fill the quiet parts of the schedule.

ARE THERE GOING TO BE MORE REPEATS?

Probably - because ITV has got to make its budget go further. But repeats aren't necessarily a bad thing if they're scheduled cleverly to let people catch up with programmes they missed.

On the BBC's iPlayer and the ITV Player every programme is a repeat, and people don't complain about that.

Michael Grade has said he will try not have too many repeats in peaktime.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY LOCAL NEWS?

Some regional news bulletins have been dropped during the day and ITV is rationalising bulletins in England and the Scottish Borders from 17 separate programmes to nine.

Ofcom has acknowledged that the current way of funding regional news isn't working and is looking to new companies - such as Reuters, ITN and regional newspaper groups - to see if they can help fill the gap.

HOW WILL IT AFFECT ITV'S RIGHTS TO SHOW SPORTS?

Sports rights are expensive - but can be worthwhile because they draw a large male audience which is attractive to advertisers.

ITV1 is now concentrating on football, having dropped Formula 1 and the Boat Race. It has denied reports that wants to renegotiate its FA Cup deal with the Football Association but says it has asked if the payments can be spread more evenly.

WILL ITV HAVE TO CLOSE ITS DIGITAL CHANNELS?
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton's British Best Friend and Gossip Girl both air on ITV2

Unlikely. This is ITV's way into the multichannel world, where viewers can find niche channels tailored to their interests, such as sport, business, music and documentaries.

Advertisers like niche audiences too because they can target their commercials to them.

ITV2 attracts younger audiences and ITV3 earns money by showing ITV's classic drama programmes.

REALITY SHOWS ARE CHEAP AND GET BIG AUDIENCES - WILL WE SEE MORE OF THEM?

Some reality shows are hits - but there are a lot of copycat shows. ITV will certainly hope to have some more reality successes but its track record is better in big entertainment shows.

WHAT WILL ITV LOOK LIKE IN FIVE YEARS' TIME?

That is a question everyone is asking, not least the government, which is preparing a Digital Britain report to look at how Britain can preserve - and build on - the best of its television, radio and internet content in the digital age.

ITV and Channel 4 are both likely to look very different - probably with new owners and fewer staff. But no one can predict that far ahead with any confidence.


BBC News



Also, even though some ITV shows may be a flop, remember, they are made here in the UK, by UK people, and bring a lot of jobs to the country, which is what we need right now, Reality TV doesnt bring a lot of jobs to anyone, and American imports bring none

Also Local ITV News web sites are to close.


And I was watching Morse on ITV4 at 2AM
the other day and guess what no Adverts
just ads for ITV2 and 3.

That tells you they can not get Adverts booked
for 2AM.

So No
it will not mean more ads.



As for the Bill
I will prefer the one only New 9PM slot when it comes
I want more Blood on Cop Dramas
Keeping it real.

Like Taggart has some good Murd-ers

I may get murdered for saying this......but....call in quiz shows?

No he had to stop them after that corruption
Chewy stop going backwards, mate.

but whats forwards? They need to find a new way of getting income, maybe some more Corrie spin off DVD's, the last one got to #1 in the TV DVD charts, so they're a hit

The Future will come soon.

You do not need Spin Offs.

The Bill - doing very well.

Law and Order :UK - doing well

Lewis - doing well , starts New Series later this month.

Taggat - doing very well even though it was 90mins
and now is 60mins

ITV2 Comedy hour 10PM tonight : Celeb Juice & FM - doing well.

You have a great passion for ITV
I join you in that

but its all over the place
like on Richard and Judy flop on a channel
not enough visit.


So I say set them up on ITV again.

Yeah, maybe replace Goldenballs and try and beat Paul O'Grady again
Apparently they are gonna be doing some ITV books, on shows like


I like ITV due to its main strongpoint being in Manchester, near where I live

Yes I do not like Golden Balls
but some do.


The Point is Michael Grade (on SkyNews in 10mins)
is doing a good job
in the New Labour Depression.



You never say never in TV
so anything can come back later
if they want it.

Law and Order lost over 600,000 viewers. Yes, it's doing very well. :rolleyes:

Over all ,so far ,it is doing well.

And is on ITVHD
on FreesatHD



The biggest loss of viewers was Richard and Judy
on a channel not many go on.

yeah, Heartbeat can probably return when ITV is on its feet again

Do you know
they have 2 years of New Episodes of Heartbeat
still to be shown.


Sundays I guess.