ITV Player Disappointment

[KnightRider]

With the build up to ITV Player coming onto VM I think the current catch up content is very disappointing. I know that ITV may not have the rights for catch up to a lot of the programming they show but a lot more is available on line. With the news of today from ITV I would think that the more programs of theirs they can promote on any platform the better. Getting people interested in various series through catch up can only boost audiences for future episodes to help in generating future advertising revenue.

[BenMcr]

Unfortunately just as it is with the BBC iPlayer - ITV are responsible for the content. They choose what goes on it

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by KnightRider

With the build up to ITV Player coming onto VM I think the current catch up content is very disappointing. I know that ITV may not have the rights for catch up to a lot of the programming they show but a lot more is available on line. With the news of today from ITV I would think that the more programs of theirs they can promote on any platform the better. Getting people interested in various series through catch up can only boost audiences for future episodes to help in generating future advertising revenue.

It's only just launched... I'd give it a little more time... it should get better

[demented]

I understand from press releases the contract for catch up content as signed was for 40hrs. In that sense although it is limited I cannot criticise either ITV or Virgin Media for being absolutely straight up with us, unlike the iPlayer which when initially launched was vastly overhyped and a bit limited.

[SB_07]

Hasn't been anything worth watching on ITV for years anyway, def the worst channel out of the main five.

[icestar2]

Originally Posted by SB_07

Hasn't been anything worth watching on ITV for years anyway, def the worst channel out of the main five.

I disagree. Although I dont watch much on the TV these days I do look forward to the Drama's that ITV put out. Cant speak for what else is on the channel as dont watch much but think they put out some great drama's.

[Micky Finn]

I think with the ITV news breaking this week, its days are numbered, catch-up or otherwise.

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by Micky Finn

I think with the ITV news breaking this week, its days are numbered, catch-up or otherwise.

I think you may be right.

I always used to favour ITV local news but since they sacked Caroline Oldrey and Tim Curtis and replaced them with the thoroughly charismally challenged Becky Jago and her equally wooden sidekick I've dumped ITV's Main and Local News in favour of the Beeb.

I fear this to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Originally Posted by KnightRider

With the build up to ITV Player coming onto VM I think the current catch up content is very disappointing. I know that ITV may not have the rights for catch up to a lot of the programming they show but a lot more is available on line. With the news of today from ITV I would think that the more programs of theirs they can promote on any platform the better. Getting people interested in various series through catch up can only boost audiences for future episodes to help in generating future advertising revenue.

I agree - There's so much more available online - i took a look on launch day and haven't looked since

I think PVR's & VOD (ability to skip ads) owes much to the demise of commercial TV

but the solution seems plainly obvious - VOD with compulsary adverts (no-skip as per live TV) - from an advertisers prospective it's the *best* way to advertise

.

Originally Posted by JethroUK

I think PVR's & VOD (ability to skip ads) owes much to the demise of commercial TV

Not really - with viewing figures, the difference between overnights and finals which come a couple of weeks later and include time-shifted viewing are not that big. They might add an extra half-million to a top-rated show that got 7-8 million 'live' viewers on the overnight ratings. VOD and PVRs are great but they are still small fry when you consider the overall size of the TV audience in the UK.

ITV's real problems have come from an overall shrinkage in the number of people watching TV, the growth of digital commercial channels which are eroding the ratings for all the public service broadcasters, several years of unimaginative, stodgy commissioning decisions and, more recently, a nasty recession which has caused the bottom to drop out of the advertising market.

Originally Posted by Chris

.....They might add an extra half-million to a top-rated show that got 7-8 million 'live' viewers....

5% viewer using PVR?

I dont think so!

Personally i dont even *know* anybody that doesn't have PVR (Sky+ V+ or freeview) & that's 100% - even my one million year old dad has PVR

Originally Posted by Chris

.....ITV's real problems have come from an overall shrinkage in the number of people watching TV.

i'd still maintain that loss of commercial money (on commercial TV station) is main problem (i wouldn't pay for an advert i know people will skip) - however i would pay a premium for an advert that people *must* watch


.

Originally Posted by JethroUK

5% viewer using PVR?

I dont think so!

Personally i dont even *know* anybody that doesn't have PVR (Sky+ V+ or freeview) & that's 100% - even my one million year old dad has PVR.

Actually the timeshift stats also include people recording with good old fashioned VCRs, or DVD recorders. They are not entirely a function of PVRs. The only constraint BARB puts on the figures is that the timeshifted viewing has to occur within 7 days of transmission. Nevertheless I didn't say only 5% of homes have a PVR or use VOD, I simply used BARB stats to show that PVR and VOD usage has not dented overall viewing figures as much as you claim it has.

I hear what you're saying about the number of people you know with PVRs but that's the danger of quoting personal experience when the reality as shown by statistics is actually very different.

PVRs and VOD are almost exclusively available through only Sky and Virgin. Yes, you can get Freeview+ now but it's very new, and yes there are a few loyal TiVo users still out there, but basically the number of PVR users is a subset of the number of pay-TV subscribers in the UK.

Virgin has a little under half a million V+ subs (that's about 14% of their total subscriber base) and Sky has over 3 million. 3.5 million '+' users is about 14% of all UK households. Put another way, that's about one in seven homes, which is rather less than the 'everybody's got one' which comes from your own experience.

Incidentally, I don't have one, so now you know someone who doesn't.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by KnightRider

With the build up to ITV Player coming onto VM I think the current catch up content is very disappointing. I know that ITV may not have the rights for catch up to a lot of the programming they show but a lot more is available on line. With the news of today from ITV I would think that the more programs of theirs they can promote on any platform the better. Getting people interested in various series through catch up can only boost audiences for future episodes to help in generating future advertising revenue.

Getting back to your point, KnightRider, Virgin Media has contracted ITV to place 40 hours of Catch-Up and 500 hours of TV Choice.

Accordingly, the number of programmes on Catch-Up will be constrained to the most popular shows/soaps, but there should be a decent choice on the TV Choice section when it is fully loaded.

Given that we have this without paying any more in subscriptions, we shouldn't really grumble! However, it is a shame that we cannot have loads more programmes on demand (from all channels including American series) with the payment of (say) a £15 subscription. If the programme choice became really good by doing so, I'd gladly give up my Sky Movies subscription in exchange! There would have to be an excellent choice, though and the TV series section would have to be stable so that you could guarantee seeing the last programme in a series of 16 without having the whole thing disappear half way through without warning.

Originally Posted by Chris

..Virgin has a little under half a million V+ subs (that's about 14% of their total subscriber base) and Sky has over 3 million. 3.5 million '+' users is about 14% of all UK households. Put another way, that's about one in seven homes, which is rather less than the 'everybody's got one' which comes from your own experience.

here you've only included Sky & VM - whereas i also included freeview PVR - earlier you even quoted VCR & DVD

*everybody* has one or tother and either method means they can skip ads and i still maintain that's where/why advertising money has disappeared - without which commercial TV cant survive

.

Originally Posted by JethroUK

here you've only included Sky & VM - whereas i also included freeview PVR - earlier you even quoted VCR & DVD

*everybody* has one or tother and either method means they can skip ads and i still maintain that's where/why advertising money has disappeared - without which commercial TV cant survive

.

Yep - and I gave a reason for excluding Freeview+, namely that it's relatively new and has fewer users than the other two. In fact it was revealed in January that 900,000 have been sold, so if you like we could up the number of '+' users in my calculations to 4.5 million. It doesn't really make a huge difference.

I excluded old-fashioned timer-based home recording (which DVD recorders are, just as much as VCRs) because this has been widely available to households for well over 20 years now, yet ITV's troubles are recent - from which I conclude, people recording ITV and zipping through adverts is not really what's behind their problem.