It was good to see Britain’s leading terrestrial broadcaster deliver positive results today. It’s often said by advertisers that they need a strong ITV and these results show that they have got just that.
Of course the revenue is up versus last year and should be, everybody’s is. But what’s more impressive is the increase compared with the rest of the market. An increase of 18% against 15%. I hope Gary Digby [ITV group commercial sales director] got a decent slug of this.
In reality these aren’t really Archie Norman or Adam Crozier’s figures and I hope a glass is raised to the incredible job that the departed finance director John Creswell did at ITV. And in essence it’s probably Michael Grade’s schedule that created these audience figures rather than Peter Fincham’s.
That said, the statement buzzes with good programming initiatives. With BBC Breakfast moving to Salford and the undeniably excellent team of Chiles and Bleakley about to enter the Daybreak studio there’s obviously audience potential here.
Television is a greedy eater of ideas though, and viewers turn off faster than they ever used to. Going forward I imagine Peter’s task is to find the new 'X Factor' and I’m not sure about you but 'Britain’s Got Talent' seems slightly below par this year. Although to balance this, ITV dramas have been stunning of late and it seems the broadcaster is creating a real must-view strand here.
There are two keys to success -50% of revenue coming from non-advertising and ITV Studios producing in-house global hits. The share of revenue target of 50% looks ambitious and the doomsayers will say that if former ITV boss Charles Allen couldn’t achieve it then how can Crozier and his team?
But if I’ve learnt one thing working in the world of cinema it is that if you create the content then people are certainly prepared to pay for it – and in their millions.
In-house hits are achievable – I’ve never quite figured out how the LWT Production ‘Pop Stars the Rivals’ ended up as ‘Pop Idol’ with an independent producer making millions all around the world. And in Kevin Lygo, ITV has someone with a stunning pedigree of producing shows with global potential and he is a past master at sweating series assets. Even I have yet to tire of the Channel 4 hit (and ITV Studios production) 'Come Dine With Me'.
I have also been impressed with the speed in which both Archie and Adam have reshaped the top team. It doesn’t matter whether you think they are right or wrong, they are doing it with great energy and vision and that’s all ITV really needs right now.
So what are the prospects for ITV? In audience terms it has an excellent window of opportunity ahead with Channel 4 left pondering the 'Big Brother' hole in 2011 and the BBC certainly wearing longer faces than normal with potential cuts and some unpopular location moves hanging over them.
The only cloud I can see on the horizon for ITV is Sky. Its recent financial results dwarf ITV’s and the satellite operator is clearly moving into programming territory that could affect ITV’s advertising revenues. However, cosying up to Sky with the pay channels deal announced this morning is a clear way to mitigate this.
On a personal note, my mum would like to ask for the return of proper regional news. She sits in her modest house in Torquay forever wondering why she’s being told what is happening in Bristol.
Martin Bowley is managing director of and a former chief executive of Carlton Media and board director of Carlton TV.