Agency Reaction To ITV Winter Schedule

Agency reaction to the ITV Winter Schedule announced this week seems to be mixed.

Bill Barker, TV Controller at JWT told MediaTel that he believes it is a very strong schedule with the emphasis on drama. He thinks the drama will do well for the network. He particularly liked the Sunday evening programming of a major film followed by drama.

The films were also the strong points of the schedule according to Jamie Pearson of the TV Buying Unit at The Media Centre. He thought the schedule overall was solid, but not outstanding. Besides the films, he thought the new drama was quite strong, but the only new series which he believes will be a success is 99-1, starring Leslie Grantham. He approved of the return of A Touch of Frost, but noted that there were no new comedies, and the documentaries seemed the same as ever.

Sharn Delf, TV Buyer at BMP, thought that the schedule was not as splendid as it was made out to be, and was disappointed with the new dramas. There was nothing to match the Darling Buds of May, which is what she believes everyone had been hoping for. She also thought there were lots of old ideas recycled such as Ruth Rendell and Anna Lee. She added that the success of the programmes would depend greatly on their scheduling. However, she did think the films were a strong point.