100MC Week 2 Individual Task

We were asked to select one thing from the media diary we made last week and to research it. I chose GMTV and used the following websites to get the information: http://www.itvplc.com/, http://www.gm.tv/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMTV. Here’s what I found (the following also includes my own opinions);

GMTV is owned by GMTV Ltd; the shareholders are ITV (75%) and Disney (25%).
ITV plc owns the English licences for ITV (UTV Media, STV Group plc and Channel Television Limited own the other British licences). ITV plc owns the following: 

ITV1 is the largest commercial television channel in the UK in terms of audience share and advertising revenues. ITV’s digital channels, including ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and Citv, generated over £240 million in advertising revenues in 2008.
In 2008, ITV channels generated over £1.4 billion in advertising revenues. As well as national advertising, ITV is uniquely able to offer companies the opportunity to advertise on television at a regional or local level. ITV also offers advertisers the opportunity to sponsor or directly fund programming consistent with regulatory rules. Programming on ITV channels also generates revenue through viewer competitions and voting delivered via PRS. ITV channels are broadcast on all the major broadcast platforms, including DTT, cable and satellite. ITV is a shareholder in Freeview and, with the BBC, launched the Freesat service in 2008, including a high definition ITV offering. Via SDN, ITV also holds a multiplex licence, leasing out DTT spectrum to other broadcasters. ITV holds a 75% stake in GMTV, the Channel 3 breakfast time licensee; a 40% stake in ITN, the national news provider for ITV and Channel 4; and a 5.6% interest in SMG plc, which holds the two regional Channel 3 licences in Scotland.
Global Content is ITV’s content division, bringing together all of ITV’s UK and international production and distribution businesses. ITV Studios is one of Europe’s leading commercial production companies producing more than 3,000 hours of original programming each year. ITV-produced programmes include some of the most popular shows on UK television, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, I’m a Celebrity and Dancing On Ice. ITV also produces programming for other channels such as University Challenge for the BBC, Brainiac for Sky and Countdown for Channel 4. ITV Studios is a significant producer across a wide range of programme genres, including drama, soaps, entertainment, factual, daytime, arts, current affairs, quiz and game shows. ITV also has production companies in America, Germany and Australia. ITV has had considerable success in producing local versions of ITV and other UK programmes, including Hell’s Kitchen in the US, Dancing On Ice in Australia, and local versions of I’m A Celebrity and Come Dine with Me in Germany. Global Entertainment generates revenues by distributing ITV and third-party programming internationally, and through the sale of DVDs and merchandise associated with ITV and third-party programming. In 2007 ITV took a 25% equity holding in independent producer Mammoth, a controlling 51% stake in US production company Jaffe/Braunstein Entertainment and acquired entertainment quiz format producer 12 Yard. In May 2008 ITV acquired Swedish-based independent production company and programme formats business Silverback AB.
Relaunched in May 2007, itv.com received a complete functional and visual overhaul, enabling it to compete with other major entertainment sites. The basic offer is a mix of simulcast, catch-up, made for broadband and the best of our archive content alongside the usual news, sport and features content. Now equipped with a broadband video player and a much-expanded operations and editorial team, the site offers channel simulcasts for ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 as well as a 30-day catch-up service and access to archive material. As a result of this new look and feel, the site has achieved substantial growth, with monthly unique users averaging 6.5 million in 2008. In November 2008 unique users reached a record 9.4 million and the site was ranked by Comscore as the UK’s 5th most popular entertainment site. Video views increased rapidly across 2008, with 86 million video views served in total.
GMTV was created to entertain and inform. It has to follow a PSB remit to some extent, so it has regular news and current affairs features, as well as more light hearted ones. It rivals the more formal BBC One show, Breakfast. It has a wide target audience; male, female, young, old etc. They often feature modern musical and acting talents, as well as long established familiar faces, for example. This enables almost anybody who tunes in at prime time on weekday mornings to be entertained and informed in some way that’s of interest to them. Ultimately, as the majority of things are, it was produced to generate money.