The news that ITV could be taken over by private equity giants linked to foreign broadcasters is disturbing for viewers.
True, ITV needs something. The once-mighty network has been in decline for years; their last quarterly results showed a hefty dip in revenue and their stock value had dropped like a stone before these takeover rumours revived it. But are city whiz-kids and European TV bosses the answer?
You could be forgiven for thinking that this is the beginning of the end for terrestrial TV. After all, every one of the traditional broadcasters are in trouble due to well-funded competition from the streaming services. Shows like Rivals on Disney+, Reacher (Prime), Squid Game (Netflix) and Slow Horses and Ted Lasso (Apple TV) create most of today’s “water-cooler moments”.
ITV have hastened what could well be the end of an era by shooting themselves in the foot for years, clobbering the geese that laid their golden eggs, with self-inflicted damage.
They ruined Coronation Street by turning it into a six-episodes-a-week treadmill devoid of its original earthy humour and relatability.
The network that once brought us mainstream comedy hits – from Benny Hill and On The Buses to Harry Hill’s TV Burp via the hugely popular An Audience with formats – now offers no laughter in primetime whatsoever.
Yes, reality-based Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is a contender for the year’s best drama, but aren’t you a little tired of ITV’s avalanche of true-crime murder sagas?
They’re extremely well-made but don’t you yearn for the days when they gave us adventurous dramas like The Avengers and The Prisoner, the earthy wit of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and the grit of The Sweeney?
The one thing those shows had in common was a recognisable identity. What could be more British than John Steed in his bowler or the spivvy charm of Minder? Coronation Street was full of characters we recognised.
Yet ITV bosses weren’t happy with their trad viewers and their old-fashioned views. They wanted new, shinier, woker ones who ticked their own right-on boxes.
They wanted to be Channel 4, which is why they thought their dismal Big Brother revival would turn their fortunes around. Why they dumbly lost Piers Morgan, why they let Gladiators go to BBC One, and why they’ve turned the Royal Variety show into a succession of bland pop acts interspersed with niche comedians more popular in Hampstead than Hackney and Huddersfield.
It’s also why they’ve gone for a left-of-centre current affairs agenda and commissioned embarrassments like Piglets. No wonder ITV have been tightening their belt for months, putting daytime staff on three-month budgets (although it doesn’t seem to have dented their CEO’s bonuses.)
The network needs to return to its original core values. ITV needs less yuppie love, more talented blue-collar input and more Britishness. As Downton Abbey and Benny Hill proved, that’s what the export market wants.
Sadly such a strategy, true to the spirit of Lew Grade’s years, is unlikely to correspond with the vision of City money men and European telly execs.
