ITV Drops Ads From Special News Bulletins
ITV could lose a significant amount in advertising revenue after its decision to drop commercials from its special 9pm news bulletins on the unfolding war against Iraq.
Last night’s special extended version of ITV News, which ran from 9.00pm to 10.07pm, was broadcast without the usual seven minutes of advertising, in a move that could prove costly for the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster.
A spokeswoman for ITV confirmed: “ITV News has been running without adverts for the last three days. This was an editorial decision made by ITV News and was not triggered by advertisers requesting their ads be pulled from news slots. Advertisers are aware there is often bad news in news programming.”
Other news providers, such as CNN, announced their decision to pull adverts from their news coverage well in advance of the conflict. However, a spokeswoman for ITV explained: “The situation is constantly changing and we will be reviewing the decision on a day by day basis.”
David Peters, broadcasting planning director at Carat, has suggested the drawn-out build up to war has given advertisers ample opportunity to pull their campaigns in advance of conflict. However, big name brands such as British Airways are assessing the situation as it develops (see Advertisers Braced For Disruption As War Arrives).
Many advertisers have expressed concern that their marketing efforts may appear insensitive in light of the war with Iraq. However, with the conflict unfolding so far from British shores, many are predicting business as usual for the majority of brands.
Despite this, analysts have predicted that the war will have a negative affect on productivity and with large-scale advertisers such as Procter and Gamble and Toyota scaling back their ad campaigns, the effects on the already battered ad industry may be considerable.
Granada chairman, Charles Allen, has already warned that military action in Iraq could affect the group’s full-year revenue estimates. However, he currently expects advertising revenue in April to be up by between 3% and 5% (see Good News For Granada And Johnston Press).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
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