ITV’s plans to cut costs

22 June 2006 Rob Buckley UK TV 3 Comments

ITV has announced its shiny strategy to deal with the slight revenue shortfall it has. There’s some good, some bad and some ugly.

  • Scale back the number of single or two-part dramas on ITV1 and replace them with cheaper programming (Is that possible?)
  • Reduce the tarriffs it pays producers for programmes (Even more?)
  • Move towards deals with production companies which will cut programme fees – but with the chance to make more money through performance related bonuses (Sure it will)
  • Tender out more major projects and contracts in a bid to get the most competitive prices (you’re not doing that already?)
  • Have less makeover and lifestyle shows in daytime (yey!)
  • ‘Modernise’ PSB (public service broadcasting) commitments (ooh aye? And by modernise we mean ‘get rid of if possible’?)
  • Increase the number of US acquired series shown on ITV1 (Cunning! Cheap but good programming!)
  • ITV Productions is to stop producing domestic 90-minute drama specials and instead concentrate on long running series and high-end period and contemporary programming.
  • The company is to stop making low-margin one off documentaries as well as history, wildlife and kids programming. Instead, it will concentrate on factual entertainment, high end drama and drama series, quiz and game shows and comedy. (oh dear)

Author

  • Rob Buckley

    I’m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live’s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition. I’ve edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for TV producers magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and was regularly sarcastic about television on the blink-and-you-missed-it “web site for urban hedonists” The Tribe. Since going freelance, I've contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly, Action Network, TV Scoop and The Custard TV.

    View all posts