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Good Morning Britain - the launch

(April 2014)

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BA
bilky asko
I'm not calling for it to be axed, just still doesn't make much sense to me to go straight from your opening sequence into pictures of fat people.

Well, the BBC does that too - but their images are of fat people walking down the street with their heads out of shot.
NE
neilly
It was inevitable that The Sun or another tabloid were going to pick up on GMB's woeful viewing figures. The Broadcast report many papers have referred today shows that ITV Breakfast slot average between 6-8.30am has fallen by 13% which is the biggest year-on-year decline in over 3 years. You always have to take these stories with a pinch of salt, but I very much doubt ITV would axe the show within the year.

As the audience shares have fallen below that quoted '15%' level the key focus for ITV is the key demo 'Housewives with Children' where their share slightly rose after GMB's launch. If the figures for this demo improves then despite overall reach falling their still lots of advertising revenue to be made. Given the amount of investment at ITV and the PSB requirements for Channel 3 license they have no choice but to stick it out for the long term. In terms of timescales, I would say the new year would be a good point to review how the show is performing ratings wise.

Whatever you think of GMB, it's clear that tweaks and changes will have to be made. As other's have mentioned for most shows the content isn't that radically different from Daybreak v2. They still insist on this tabloid sensationalist agenda which doesn't engage with viewers. I think they need to distinguish the programme much more for example scrapping competition and entertainment slots in the 6am hour focusing on more news. Maybe introduce a formal newspaper review looking over the main headlines. ITV will never come close to Breakfast in the ratings, however there is scope for improvement especially the content.
BB
bbcfan2014
I'm not calling for it to be axed, just still doesn't make much sense to me to go straight from your opening sequence into pictures of fat people.


One of the problems with ITV Breakfast is that everyone now thinks they're an expert...even on editorial matters; even when they're wrong
SC
scottishtv Founding member
everyone now thinks they're an expert...even on editorial matters; even when they're wrong

I'm surprised you think this format they simply lifted from the States and shoved into Britain is working. It was meant to attract new viewers who were promised "the essentials before they go to work". Maybe I am wrong, and the audience has been crying out for selfies of overweight viewers at 8am.
MA
mark Founding member
The thing I (and possibly they) can't work out is where they think new viewers will come from.

The obvious answer is Breakfast - as they have tonnes of viewers who already watch TV in the morning. Hence hiring Susanna. But they seem to have written off this audience with downmarket content like the wheel of cash and Daybreak-style 'Britain's fattest family' items which are unlikely to appeal.

So that really just leaves people who listen to breakfast radio or people who don't currently consume any morning broadcast media - and those are going to be much harder audiences to convert.
PI
pip2
mark posted:
The thing I (and possibly they) can't work out is where they think new viewers will come from.

The obvious answer is Breakfast - as they have tonnes of viewers who already watch TV in the morning. Hence hiring Susanna. But they seem to have written off this audience with downmarket content like the wheel of cash and Daybreak-style 'Britain's fattest family' items which are unlikely to appeal.

So that really just leaves people who listen to breakfast radio or people who don't currently consume any morning broadcast media - and those are going to be much harder audiences to convert.


It's not a static number of people you're drawing on to provide your audience as viewing habits will change as personal circumstances change.

Half a million people in full time education will be in full time employment this time next year. People who have a long drive to work and listen to the radio could be working from home a year from now. Close to a million people in full time employment who don't even turn the tv on until the evening today will be retired this time next year. It only takes a big news story or a guest you're a fan of to get you to tune in once and as long as you like what you see you may well tune in again the next day.
RO
robertclark125
As I've already stated, what ITV are trying to do with GMB is what TV-am tried to do, and that is provide a programme with all the content you'd expect in a popular newspaper, from the front to the back.

The other point I've said is, while the viewing figures may not be good, ITV must not panic, and make knee jerk reactions, which could cause more damage. Instead, it may be necessary to tweak and do fine tuning. What is important is that they don't simply duplicate Breakfast or Sunrise, and that they try and retain a loyal audience.

ANother point I'd like folk to consider is this; I work with WH Smith in a hospital, and the Hospital information screens have a rolling news channel in the bottom right hand corner. For the main hospital, this is BBC News, and for the A&E and Maternity sections, this is Sky News. So, while people are waiting, they will probably be looking at the TV screens to see what is going on.

GMB is unusual in that it's not shown on a 24 hour news channel, but is a stand alone programme on a regular tv channel, and thus it cannot tap into potential viewers in such places like a hospital. I have to stress, that's not the fault of the current ITV management; the ITV news channel was axed in late 2005, but had it continued, GMB would've possibly been a good fit on the show, though how well Andi Peters competitions would fit in on a rolling news channel is another matter.
MA
mark Founding member
As I've already stated, what ITV are trying to do with GMB is what TV-am tried to do, and that is provide a programme with all the content you'd expect in a popular newspaper, from the front to the back.


I'm sure you're right - but this is arguably nothing different than what Daybreak and GMTV before it did.

GMB would've possibly been a good fit on the show, though how well Andi Peters competitions would fit in on a rolling news channel is another matter.


I'm still not sure what the point of these is. There seems to be no benefit to the viewer in watching a member of the public win 500 quid in a game of luck. And any marketing benefit from the 'roadshow' element seems to be minimal given that the locations they pick are normally fairly quiet at that time of the morning.
PI
pip2
mark posted:
I'm still not sure what the point of these is. There seems to be no benefit to the viewer in watching a member of the public win 500 quid in a game of luck. And any marketing benefit from the 'roadshow' element seems to be minimal given that the locations they pick are normally fairly quiet at that time of the morning.


The point is that as a viewer you too can win some cash in a game of luck. Seeing a member of the public win £500 is far more appealing and inclusive as an 'in' to the competition than sending some random celeb to an exotic location to punt the prize. Also, whole hours of the schedule are given over to programmes where members of the public try to win cash, there's no benefit to the viewer in those either, yet they remain hugely popular.
NG
noggin Founding member
pip2 posted:
Also, whole hours of the schedule are given over to programmes where members of the public try to win cash, there's no benefit to the viewer in those either, yet they remain hugely popular.


If you are talking about quiz and game shows - then they have both "play along" and "entertainment" values which make them appealing to viewers. Not sure that "Wheel of cash" has either of those...

However - the viewer competitions aren't going anywhere. Would love to know how much they rake in from them. AIUI it's a very significant sum.
PI
pip2
pip2 posted:
Also, whole hours of the schedule are given over to programmes where members of the public try to win cash, there's no benefit to the viewer in those either, yet they remain hugely popular.


If you are talking about quiz and game shows - then they have both "play along" and "entertainment" values which make them appealing to viewers. Not sure that "Wheel of cash" has either of those...


… which is why it only lasts 90 seconds, shorter than an average ad break. It's commercial television and has to generate income in order to operate.
SC
scottishtv Founding member
However - the viewer competitions aren't going anywhere. Would love to know how much they rake in from them. AIUI it's a very significant sum.

If I recall correctly, it was the phone-in competitions scandal that tarnished the GMTV brand and perhaps partly contributed to it’s downfall?


Anyway, a Panorama investigation back in 2007 estimated £45,000 a day or £10m a year. Of course that may now be affected by economic climate, but perhaps call costs have also increased since. Still a very hefty sum, and I remember the programme suggested it was essential part of GMTV’s business model.

EDIT: Sorry, found a later article in The Independent from after the Ofcom investigation to GMTV which states that: "Between August 2003 and April 2007, GMTV made a total profit of £49.2m from viewer competitions."

That would make it at around £1m per month.
Last edited by scottishtv on 3 June 2014 1:36pm - 3 times in total

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