UTV sell TV business to ITV

I have to ask though, in this day and age, is there a lot of point to such regional channels? Do many people watch them?

I understand the purpose of them back in the 1970s and 1980s, but these days, people just watch ITV, or indeed view any programming online anyway.

And aren't STV devoid of local programming anyway by now? It just strikes me as stubbornness if they resist any takeovers, and I say that not at all as a fan of ITV at all.

Nope stv still has monday and friday at 8pm for local programmes along with tursday 8pm. Scotland tonight on 4 days a week ay 10.30 and is destroying the bbc efforts. There a few other slots including the weekends.

But how many people these days actually watch them?

I hate to sound cold and corporate but such regional commitments sadly don't matter that much in 2016. Most people will find such news in local newspapers or, more likely, online.

Like i just said.... Scotland tonight is destroying the bbc efforts at 10.30 at night. Clearly people are watching. The stv kids appeal was just on recently and raises alot of money, people are watching that.

So theres a demand for some local content up north. Just look at still game on the bbc, may only got 3million but nealry half of that was from scotland. You have toget it right.

You clearly don't have a clue what you're talking about.
Regional News on the BBC is sometimes the most watched time slot of the day after Eastenders. ITV regional news also does well, considering the amount of change it's went through over the years, with UTV Live regularly gaining more viewers that its BBC counterpart. STV News is more local than ever.
I agree that online is where things will eventually end up - the STV News app has done very well since it relaunched.

Local newspapers? Sales of these have been in freefall for many years. Regional TV news has held up fantastically well in comparison.

Yeah, half the non-news content in the Hull Daily Mail nowadays is apparently networked. Identical to what's in the other local papers owned by the Mirror. And they stick out like a sore thumb because of the different fonts. The reason they've done this is obvious - cost cutting. And the reason for cutting costs is of course because sales have sunk. I'm sure it's the same situation nationwide.

I guess it's my age and/or my cynicism. I just don't see the appeal or the point any more, but I'm clearly in a minority.

I agree that ITV buying STV is inevitable. I would also say that, while STV goes above and beyond what is required of it in terms of news, which is appreciated by a wide section of its audience, the majority of people wouldn't be too bothered if it did the bare minimum required in terms of Scottish news as long as it continued to show the likes of The X Factor and Coronation Street. Sad but true.

Still Game is the exception that proves the rule, and a perfect example of everything BBC Scotland should be doing - providing investment into Scottish programming that STV can't or won't do, predominantly because it pays a set fee for the ITV schedule and there's little incentive to go above and beyond that except for showpiece news programming which can be used to win over opinion-makers.

STV will at some point end up like UTV, which will be a horrendous point for an already squeezed Scottish media sector. Without Holyrood having oversight of the Scottish media, there is no incentive or rule that can be imposed demanding more locally-produced programming.

Still Game was the highest rated show in Scotland this year with 1.2m viewers in Scotland, the only non-sporting event to top 1m. There is definately a demand for local content in the nations at least - but we also want premium local content (i.e. comedy and drama), not just current affairs and the usual local fodder.

There's no incentive for STV to provide this, unfortunately. Financially they pay a set fee to ITV for their network schedule, so why produce extra programming for a limited audience that might not fly. Politically they're covered by the extra news programming they do provide.

BBC Scotland is essentially a national region within a bigger broadcaster and only has so much funding available to it to opt-out. The theory within the UK is that we're better together and pool our money towards a better service than if we all did our own thing.

The alternative, aside from more federalised broadcasting - which politically would be a tricky sell to the UK Government (see the Scottish Six situation), is an RTE-style set-up, but you know what you need for an RTE-style set-up. (I'm not, incidentally, suggesting this is a good enough reason in and of itself for independence - people in Scotland voted in that poll for matters slightly more pressing for them).

I don't really want to hijack the thread for UTV, however, your post is full of baseless assumptions and political ignorance with regards to Scotland.

Even if the prospect of another independence referendum is taken out of the equation, the political landscape in Scotland has changed immensely over the last two years or so.

The Scottish Government are continually pushing the U.K. government for more and more powers for the Scottish Parliament, and broadcasting is one that continually comes up time and again. The long game is being played with regards control of broadcasting and the effects of this being transferred to the SP is one uncertainty.

Another uncertainty is where Scotland will be in 5 years time. If it does becomes independent, what will this mean for the Channel 3 licence? The SNP did agree that all broadcast licence agreements would be honoured in 2014 until renewal, but time has moved on, and will this be honoured in the event of another referendum? I would hazard a firm guess that the Scottish Government would not allow a London based broadcaster on a PSB service for Scotland after renewal at the very least.

Another point is regards the broadcast sector in Scotland as it stands today. The BBC in Scotland is under tremendous pressure to up its game as it is seen as lacking in reflecting Scotland and its people today. This is pressure from the SG; its audience, and its competitors. The "Scottish Six" is back on the agenda some 17 years since it was first mooted, and after some bureaucratic dithering from the BBC, STV have stolen the BBC's thunder and announced a "Scottish Seven" on a relaunched STV 2 next year. The market in Scotland is different to the market in England, Wales and NI.

NI and Scotland are completely different. NI does not have the same political pressure on its broadcasters and UTV has scaled back its TV output over the last decade; STV has been increasing its output in competition to the BBC and others. It may not all be to everyone's taste, but they have increased homegrown productions nonetheless. NI also does not have the same constitutional issues as Scotland, which would without a doubt be a risk for any takeover.

You say that Scotland becoming independent is unlikely. How have you come to this conclusion? Personally, I know many 2014 no voters who are now pining for another referendum as they wish to remain in the EU. Again, the long game is being played to call another referendum, but I am sure it is only a matter of when and not if.

The sale of UTV to ITV was not hostile, it was due to UTV making a poor decision in the launch of UTV Ireland and making big losses which it could not afford to plug. I assume ITV is more than happy to continue to affiliate arrangement and is happy with the income it receives.