Scottish pres discussion Thread

So when it does happen, what will your thoughts be?

Well you may think that's the primary motivation, but I disagree. We're not some "poor relation" that can't afford the quality stuff. STV may only be worth £20M at the moment, but ITV have suffered to the same extent - the difference is that STV has increasing viewers and increasing advertising revenues, when all around them are dropping.

There's a consensus of opinion about, for example, Al Murray and Piers Moron in Scotland that isn't shared down south. Cutting them from the schedule is all about tailoring the schedule for the audience.

Trailing tonight is a new local programme - "Lorraine Kelly, Made in Scotland", a documentary series about Scottish inventors (or somesuch).

Quite honestly, as soon as I see a downside to these changes I'll be here telling you. So far its been a winner in my eyes.

As far as I'm concerned we're getting the best deal up here.

I don't think that it's a coincidence that it is the more expensive programmes that are being replaced in the schedule.

Instead of a new epsidode of Midsommer Murders they are showing Foyles War repeat - they are replacing like with like, only one is an expensive new epsiode and one is a much cheaper repeat.

They are also repeating Proof next Monday - didn't they only just show that a couple of weeks ago on Sunday nights?

There has to be more to this than meets the eye, its like STV and ITV are loggerhead about cost of programmes.

more to the point where could this all end? we can't blame STV for trying to get a better deal for Scottish viewers and some of the programmes no one really would care up here

Midsommer Murders is one of those on the list I don't watch. Never have done.

I'm not naive - of course money is a factor in the direction they have taken, but I maintain that we're being better served as a result, and I'm watching the channel more than I have in years.

That is the bottom line.

Proof which is on next Monday is new Epsoides, so it seems it done good enough to buy more episodes

It a bit late though isnt it?

STV are going to have a further hour to fill on Friday nights at 10.35 which looks like from next week will be a regular repeat slot for The Bill. Next week there will also be repeats on Monday/Tuesday night of this weeks episodes. Just showing the repeat could have been a way for STV to still show The Bill but I guess they would still have to pay the same for it if they show it at 9pm or 10.35pm

Crossing Jordan, must still be doing alright for stv

Well I agree that if you don't watch/like network drama then you are being better served as a result. Personally, I've always considered British drama to be an important part of the ITV schedule, so the fact that STV is dropping ALL new network drama (for the foreseeable future) is a bit of a shame. Then again, I don't watch STV so it doesn't affect me as long as the network keeps commissioning drama for the rest of us. MG piece on this today http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/21/bill-shown-itv3-scottish-viewers

Entirely agree with the sentiments of the writer of this piece. Apologies if it's been posted before.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/jun/22/stv-group-scottish-television

Look, STV had to do something. After DSO there's nothing to stop ITV PLC handing back their licences and running ITV1 throughout the UK. In that case, they'll take the big hitting programmes with them and STV will be stuffed. At least UTV has a significant radio interest if they lose out or are taken over - STV is now almost fully committed to its TV division.

They also face significant financial pressures when (and I suspect it is when, rather than if) the network drops Taggart.

The problem is that they've done it too fast. There's no decent programming to replace network shows yet, so we have some hastily cobbled together tartanised crap. Unless of course their plan all along was just to show programmes originally designed for cable channels (Murder Capital etc) instead of programming which costs cash, in which case there should be some political intervention.

And that's where we could be heading. I suspect STV is playing a very dangerous political game here. They are trying to set themselves up to be Scotland's national broadcaster, and win over the politicians so their future is secure post-DSO. However if MPs suddenly start getting bombarded by constituents complaining at the loss of massive programmes then they may see it very differently.

From a personal perspective, the amount of ITV1 programmes on right now that I watch I can count on no hands, so I'm not missing anything and could gain quite a bit. So I ain't complaining. But after originally playing a very clever game, I fear STV may have gone a bit too far.

Some other random thoughts:

* How funny would it be if the ITV News did a story on this? (as much as I know it won't happen)
* Because BT are, quite frankly, hopeless, I can't get into YouTube at the moment, but I recommend a look at Armando Ianucci's 'except for viewers in Scotland' piece. It's like history repeating.

This one? "History repeating", indeed.