• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Clean Feed

Clean Feed

  • Timeline
  • News
  • Opinion
  • PresWatch
  • Bloopers
  • News+
  • Resources
  • Rewind
  • Showreel
  • Studio A
  • Pres Café
  • TV Pres
PICTURED: UTV ident.

ITV confirms no return to UTV branding in Northern Ireland

Posted on 26th November 2020 by Andrew Nairn
Last updated on 25th March 2021 Filed under Opinion

There was an inevitability about today’s news that ITV branding on UTV is to become permanent.

Announcers Julian Simmons and Gillian Porter are to leave the station. The current arrangements – initially introduced at the height of the pandemic in April – are to stay.

This will be little surprise, of course, to regular readers of my articles.

Back in 2016, there was always the suspicion that the rebranding of UTV in the style of ITV and the discontinuation of in-vision continuity was a “transitional phase”. The move followed the takeover of UTV by ITV plc a few months earlier.

Was UTV really different to any other ITV plc region? Especially Wales where distinct local branding and local announcers were phased out more than a decade ago.

UTV was a strong local brand – but was ITV really that unfamiliar to local viewers?

It was to ITV’s credit that they were clearly true to their word and in no rush to ditch the UTV branding even if it did look “transitional”.

It survived minor network brand refreshes and, in particular, the introduction of new idents on the network in January 2019.

There is no suggestion that ITV cynically used the pandemic to make changes it had been working towards. Had the crisis only lasted for a few weeks, then UTV would have returned – at least for the moment.

But as time went on, it became clearer and clearer that there would be little point in going back to the “old ways”. ITV’s brand was becoming familiar in Northern Ireland, ratings were holding up and there was little – if any – backlash.

Hopefully Julian and Gillian will be able to get the leaving dos they deserve after so long with the company, at least once the crisis is over.

So with the new arrangements for continuity and network trails made permanent, what of the remaining distinctive parts of UTV branding? Will the rest of the on screen identity gradually fade out, just as it has in other ITV regions.

  • Will UTV Live start to include explicit ITV News branding?
  • Will the local weather branding be modified?
  • Will local trailers continue to refer to UTV? Or will they switch to ITV branding?
  • Will the EPG continue to refer to UTV or “ITV UTV”?

I suspect there would be no immediate urgency to make these changes, if they happen at all. They would not save any money or make operations easier.

The question is whether ITV would want to continue to build its brand in Northern Ireland? Or whether they may happen by stealth whenever graphics get refreshed or systems updated?

It should be stressed that UTV’s local programmes are not affected by these changes. Any lasting changes to the volume of local output would require Ofcom approval.

Today is the end of an era – but it was an era that really ended nearly 8 months ago.

Related

Acknowledgements

Related

FEATURE IMAGE:

PICTURED: UTV Ident. COPYRIGHT: ITV plc.

Related

Related

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sidebar

Tags: Gillian Porter, ITV, ITV plc, Julian Simmons, On-Screen Presentation, UTV, UTV Live

Dates for the Diary

3rd April 2023: BBC News Channel and BBC World News merge.

November/December 2023: World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23).

Q1 2024: SD versions of BBC channels close on satellite.

2024: BBC Four and CBBC go online-only.

2024: BBC Radio 4 Extra goes online-only.

Don’t Miss Out – Follow Us on Twitter

Our Twitter account will usually report the latest broadcast-related events shortly after they've happened and ahead of the website. You'll also catch a variety of items there that will not be covered on the website.
Clean Feed on Twitter.

Latest updates over on: Rewind

E4 continuity including service promotion for Film4 and programme promotion for The Sopranos (9th May 2001)

E4 continuity including service promotion for Film4 and programme promotion for The Sopranos (9th May 2001)

TV 3 continuity followed by Ireland AM (edits) (2 clips) (10th May 2001)

TV 3 continuity followed by Ireland AM (edits) (2 clips) (10th May 2001)

Wodehouse Playhouse closing, UK Drama continuity including programme promotions for Strathblair and Miss Marple (2 clips) (9th May 2001)

Wodehouse Playhouse closing, UK Drama continuity including programme promotions for Strathblair and Miss Marple (2 clips) (9th May 2001)

About This Site · Contact Us · FAQ · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions

© 2023 The TV Room. This site is not affiliated with any broadcaster, production company or design/marketing/talent agency.

Back to top