News

ITV 'committed to drama'

01.01.70 | Philip Jones

The future of book-based dramas at ITV is uncertain after it announced plans to make 600 jobs redundant and reduce programme spend by £65m. While a spokesman said ITV was “committed to drama”, he added that exactly how the cost-cutting would affect arts programming would not be known for several months.

However, he pointed to a recent interview with director of ITV Drama Laura Mackie in which she said that her current focus was “popular” programming. She told Broadcast magazine on 25th February: “Crime thrillers and 20th-century dramas are things that ITV does very well. We own those, [whereas] period pieces define the BBC. That's not to say we will never do them, but right now I am looking for things that are popular rather than worthy.”

Announcing the cuts on Wednesday, ITV executive chairman Michael Grade issued a statement saying: “To deliver these savings, ITV is re-engineering its schedule . . . the programming mix is being shifted towards entertainment.”

ITV has already dropped “Wire in the Blood” by Val McDermid in February and abandoned a remake of A Passage to India by E M Forster in December. However, the spokesman added that ITV was still receiving ideas for arts drama programming from its own and indie production teams.

Outside drama, the picture may not be so bleak. On 20th February, Kevin Morgan, content director of ITV Global Entertainment, announced ITV's book publishing strategy. He said: "Successful book publishing has always played a central role in all our brand extensions, for both our ITV and independently produced programming. We're currently meeting with publishers to discuss new strategic licences for our primetime and daytime shows across documentary, factual-entertainment, lifestyle and sport."

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By Ray Hollingsworth

I was told by an Anglian television reporter at a reserve football match yesterday afternoon that he has been briefed to do location work / interviews etc alone. So he will have to set up the camera and use a single angle etc...which can be done - excepting that he was very little experience as a camera op. Three years ago there would often be cameraman / sound tech / junior producer in a team...then 3 became 2...2 becomes 1 and 1 may well become no one at all. Local television is unsustainable. Why on earth do they still need two people to read the news? Skynews once tried 3. Television will change more than the bookworld. ITV will not survive in it's current form - the ad revenue will never return.

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 13:23
By Jonathan

I weas amused by the announcement today from ITV that the drop in income wouldn't result in a drop in the standard of programming: not so much the idea that they could keep going as before on lower revenue, more the idea that ITV's programme standards actually had any lower to go...

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 13:23
By Ray Hollingsworth

Actually, thinking back to last May, I recall Andrew Cropper from the BBC working alongside us on his own for a news piece on Look East...so perhaps the beeb just edged out ITV on that one...and looks to me as though Paul Harrison of Sky News ( who inadvertantly got me a contract there when he referred to Felixstowe as Folkstone on at least 5 occasions over 2 days ) just did a solo on a report from wherever it was.

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 13:23
By Ray Hollingsworth

I was told by an Anglian television reporter at a reserve football match yesterday afternoon that he has been briefed to do location work / interviews etc alone. So he will have to set up the camera and use a single angle etc...which can be done - excepting that he was very little experience as a camera op. Three years ago there would often be cameraman / sound tech / junior producer in a team...then 3 became 2...2 becomes 1 and 1 may well become no one at all. Local television is unsustainable. Why on earth do they still need two people to read the news? Skynews once tried 3. Television will change more than the bookworld. ITV will not survive in it's current form - the ad revenue will never return.

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 13:23
By Jonathan

I weas amused by the announcement today from ITV that the drop in income wouldn't result in a drop in the standard of programming: not so much the idea that they could keep going as before on lower revenue, more the idea that ITV's programme standards actually had any lower to go...

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 13:23
By Ray Hollingsworth

Actually, thinking back to last May, I recall Andrew Cropper from the BBC working alongside us on his own for a news piece on Look East...so perhaps the beeb just edged out ITV on that one...and looks to me as though Paul Harrison of Sky News ( who inadvertantly got me a contract there when he referred to Felixstowe as Folkstone on at least 5 occasions over 2 days ) just did a solo on a report from wherever it was.

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 13:23

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