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UTV sell TV business to ITV

Rebrand from Oct 17th - please use new thread. (August 2015)

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CH
chinamug
They're probably not going to change anything for a while, (1 or 2 years) and gently bring the ITV name in more and more during that time. Calling the Republic of Ireland operation ITV Ireland would be foolish until they have most of the rights tied down. Part of the problem with UTV Ireland is that it's not 'proper' UTV. Calling the Southern operation ITV Ireland would raise exceptions.

It's also the case that the UTV region is the one most stuck in it's ways. A name change and change of style of the station won't go down well, and wouldn't make financial sense. The region is the most watched ITV region it's also the one that's most likely to protest.

In fact it's quite possible than in two or so years ITV Ireland will be used in the republic and UTV will remain in some form in the North.
LS
Lou Scannon
RDJ posted:
I think you're not wrong there. Dare I say it I see a hybrid coming along as per ITV circa. 2002. Where the channel will become known as ITV but the news and local output may well stay as 'UTV'.


Now I'm having flashbacks of HTV News being a Carlton production for ITV1 Wales.

<shudders>
AE
AlexEdohHD13
Austin Tatious posted:
RDJ posted:
I think you're not wrong there. Dare I say it I see a hybrid coming along as per ITV circa. 2002. Where the channel will become known as ITV but the news and local output may well stay as 'UTV'.


Now I'm having flashbacks of HTV News being a Carlton production for ITV1 Wales.

<shudders>

I think that even if ITV buy UTV, the UTV name should stay.
MK
Mr Kite
Doubt the transition will be as gradual as most of the rest of the network c1998-2003. The political situation and the nature of the network is totally different now. It'll be more like Grampian: here today, gone tomorrow. The name of the news service will be a bit of an awkward one though. UTV Live is a well known brand, like Granada Reports or Calendar. ITV News Northern Ireland is clunky but clunky often doesn't get in the way of 'brand alignment'. A show called UTV Live on a channel called ITV would be rather random and would never be a long term arrangement.
Last edited by Mr Kite on 1 March 2016 7:57pm
JA
JAS84
ITV News Ulster Live?
ST
steddenm
Why not ITV Ulster Live or just plain old ITV Live?
DV
dvboy
steddenm posted:
Why not ITV Ulster Live or just plain old ITV Live?

Because that's not clunky enough for ITV Regional news.
JA
JAS84
^Yeah, it'll definitely be ITV News something. Calendar and a few others kept their names but had ITV News put in front. They'll either use the name I suggested or change it entirely.
SC
Si-Co
JAS84 posted:
ITV News Ulster Live?


I doubt they'd want 'Ulster' in the name as it's not a synonym for Northern Ireland and that's part of the reason they dropped the name in the 90s.
VM
VMPhil
We did use to have "This is HTV, ITV1 in Wales". Maybe we'll start hearing "This is UTV, ITV in Northern Ireland" although it's more of a mouthful.
NT
Night Thoughts
Whataday posted:
Mr Kite posted:
ITV also own the brands for Granada, Carlton, Anglia, Border etc; it doesn't use them.


Incidentally, ITV has surrendered most of its regional trademarks so no longer owns them. I believe the Carlton brand was sold along with Carlton Screen Advertising.


Interesting - would explain why these t-shirts have appeared on sale...



BR
Brekkie
That is exactly how they'll phase it in though, and I'd say "ITV News UTV Live" is quite the possibility.

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