UK broadcasting giant ITV is officially opening its chequebook in a high-stakes search for television’s next big thing. With primetime dominance in its sights, the network is actively hunting for bold new formats and is ready to throw serious financial weight behind fresh creative talent.
Speaking in an interview with Broadcast, ITV’s Head of Entertainment Kate Rawcliffe made it clear that the commercial broadcaster is ready to fund, test, and launch ambitious new concepts.
““We have funding, we want to pilot, and we want to cement our [entertainment] dominance”, Rawcliffe stated.
“We’ve got the money to develop shows,” Rawcliffe adds. “Maybe it’s about finding locations or proof of concepts, but we really want to work with producers, especially around building ITV2 ideas.”
The aggressive development push comes with specific targets in mind. Rawcliffe revealed the network is hungry for fresh Saturday night entertainment formats and is actively searching for the “next game-changing quiz” to follow in the footsteps of established rating juggernauts like The 1% Club, The Chase, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
However, the aggressive strategy isn’t without its stumbles. Rawcliffe candidly addressed the high-profile flop of The Neighbourhood, the recent game show hosted by Graham Norton that failed to capture audiences despite huge buzz.
“Everything we do at ITV is a risk. Nothing flies under the radar. [The Neighbourhood] was a really exciting, paper format and we obviously were really enthused by it,” she says. “I think the industry was too, but ultimately it didn’t land in a big enough way.
“It’s our job to take a creative risk. We’ll keep learning.”
With production budgets ready to deploy and a clear mandate for creative risk-taking, the ball is now in the independent production sector’s court to deliver ITV’s next flagship hit.
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