Post by Lane Kent on Nov 6, 2004 0:19:44 GMT
From Media Guardian:
ITV runs six-day programming blitz
Jason Deans, broadcasting editor
Friday November 5, 2004
ITV will attempt to boost its flagging audience share later this
month with a six-day programming blitz featuring seven hours of I'm
A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here! in peak time, six episodes of
Emmerdale and no less than eight instalments of Coronation Street.
Hit reality show I'm A Celebrity... leads the charge, returning for
a hotly anticipated fourth series at 9pm on Sunday November 21.
The last time I'm A Celebrity... was on air, when Kerry McFadden won
the third series in February, ITV1 had its best month of the year so
far for ratings. In February, ITV1 attracted a 24.6% audience share
and beat BBC1 over a month for the first time in two years.
ITV director of programmes Nigel Pickard will be hoping for a
similar boost this time round and is backing up I'm A Celebrity...
with extra episodes of two of his biggest ratings bankers, the soaps
Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
However, critics could argue that ITV's November drive comes at the
expense of programming diversity in peak time, what with I'm A
Celebrity..., Emmerdale and Coronation Street accounting for 14
hours of output in the six days from November 21.
On Monday November 22, these three programmes will make up all but
half an hour of ITV1's peak time line-up, the exception being
Tonight with Trevor McDonald at 8pm.
That night, ITV1 will lead off with Emmerdale at 7pm, three episodes
of Coronation Street - at 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 10pm - and I'm A
Celebrity... at 9pm.
I'm A Celebrity... is to be stripped every night at 9pm, except on
Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25 November. On Tuesday it follows live
Champions League coverage at 9.45pm and on Thursday 25 ITV1 will
serve up a double helping of reality at 8pm and 10pm, with Russell T
Davies drama Mine All Mine sandwiched in between at 9pm.
In addition to Coronation Street's five regular weekly episodes,
three extra instalments are being scheduled in ITV1's blitz week, at
10pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Mr Pickard has also ordered an extra episode of Emmerdale, which
will go out at 7pm on Sunday 21 November.
If ITV1 fails to hit specific ratings targets this year, it risks
losing up to £100m in revenues from airtime sales deals with
advertisers for 2005, under the contract rights renewal remedy
agreed with the government as a condition of the Carlton/Granada
merger to create ITV plc a year ago.
The network's all-hours share stood at 22.6% at the end of October -
down from 23.7% in 2003.
However, after a poor summer, when ITV1's monthly share dipped to a
new low of 19.6% in August, the broadcaster has bounced back this
autumn.
Last month, ITV1 came within a whisker of beating BBC1, posting a
23.5% share, and the broadcaster will be hoping to do even better in
November, with the help of I'm A Celebrity... and extra helpings of
soap.
ITV runs six-day programming blitz
Jason Deans, broadcasting editor
Friday November 5, 2004
ITV will attempt to boost its flagging audience share later this
month with a six-day programming blitz featuring seven hours of I'm
A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here! in peak time, six episodes of
Emmerdale and no less than eight instalments of Coronation Street.
Hit reality show I'm A Celebrity... leads the charge, returning for
a hotly anticipated fourth series at 9pm on Sunday November 21.
The last time I'm A Celebrity... was on air, when Kerry McFadden won
the third series in February, ITV1 had its best month of the year so
far for ratings. In February, ITV1 attracted a 24.6% audience share
and beat BBC1 over a month for the first time in two years.
ITV director of programmes Nigel Pickard will be hoping for a
similar boost this time round and is backing up I'm A Celebrity...
with extra episodes of two of his biggest ratings bankers, the soaps
Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
However, critics could argue that ITV's November drive comes at the
expense of programming diversity in peak time, what with I'm A
Celebrity..., Emmerdale and Coronation Street accounting for 14
hours of output in the six days from November 21.
On Monday November 22, these three programmes will make up all but
half an hour of ITV1's peak time line-up, the exception being
Tonight with Trevor McDonald at 8pm.
That night, ITV1 will lead off with Emmerdale at 7pm, three episodes
of Coronation Street - at 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 10pm - and I'm A
Celebrity... at 9pm.
I'm A Celebrity... is to be stripped every night at 9pm, except on
Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25 November. On Tuesday it follows live
Champions League coverage at 9.45pm and on Thursday 25 ITV1 will
serve up a double helping of reality at 8pm and 10pm, with Russell T
Davies drama Mine All Mine sandwiched in between at 9pm.
In addition to Coronation Street's five regular weekly episodes,
three extra instalments are being scheduled in ITV1's blitz week, at
10pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Mr Pickard has also ordered an extra episode of Emmerdale, which
will go out at 7pm on Sunday 21 November.
If ITV1 fails to hit specific ratings targets this year, it risks
losing up to £100m in revenues from airtime sales deals with
advertisers for 2005, under the contract rights renewal remedy
agreed with the government as a condition of the Carlton/Granada
merger to create ITV plc a year ago.
The network's all-hours share stood at 22.6% at the end of October -
down from 23.7% in 2003.
However, after a poor summer, when ITV1's monthly share dipped to a
new low of 19.6% in August, the broadcaster has bounced back this
autumn.
Last month, ITV1 came within a whisker of beating BBC1, posting a
23.5% share, and the broadcaster will be hoping to do even better in
November, with the help of I'm A Celebrity... and extra helpings of
soap.
