ITV - Why Are They So Crap?

Many years ago I wrote a letter to ITV asking why, when they had joint rights to the F.A Cup Final, did they take an advert break between the presentation at the start of the game and the kick-off and at the end of the match straight after the cup was presented. My argument was that with the advert at the start of the game they broke the increasing excitement there was before a big game and that at the end it was a bit like telling a child that Father Christmas wasn't coming after all but you still had to write him a letter.

I mention this because tonight, immediately after the fireworks began following Fabio Cannavaro taking hold of the World Cup, I thought I'd see how their coverage compared with the BBC's. They had gone to an advert break! Once every four years this competition happens and they took a commercial break.

Now I know that ITV depends on its income from commercials but don't you think that they could have sold the time for say, two minutes after the presentation? Last week the financial papers carried the story that ITV are trying to renegotiate their advertising contracts because their market share is down to 22% - they are asking for more money would you believe and the company's doing the advertising are saying no way Jose. ITV have said that if they don't receive a higher income from adverts at prime time then they could lose up to £120 million a year from their programme budgets, not a cut in salaries at the top end you understand, no a cut in output and production costs.

ITV are clearly feeling the pressure and their joint venture with Budweiser and EDF Energy has been crucial to their output this summer, but once in a while could they put fans first?

Incidentally the two guys doing the Budweiser commercials as an intro/outro doing the tournament weren't bad - the semi-final joke could only work once and it did.