Gary Digby, managing director of ITV Sales, made the claims to media agencies during the current 'upfront' agency presentations, which precede the annual round of TV negotiations.
He claimed that Deal or No Deal, which accounts for 10% of C4's impacts, has dragged the channel's profile downmarket. Mike Parker, head of strategic sales for C4, admitted that some programmes delivered a disproportionate volume of impacts, but said that the channel had a diverse schedule.
Digby also claimed that new programmes have caused Channel 4's share to plummet this autumn. Star Stories was singled out as the worst-performing show ever in the 9pm Friday night slot.
Separately, ITV has denied that head of advertiser relationships Mark Trinder is leaving the company. He joined ITV in 2004 from Woolworths, where he was head of marketing communications. Two client services directors have joined at the same level as Trinder following a restructure.
Blown out of proportion, page 21.
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