Carlton Television is clawing back some of its daytime airtime to
develop a range of programming designed to generate revenue streams
beyond spot advertising.
The initiative aims to make daytime programming more lucrative for the
broadcaster. Advertising during the day is typically sold at discounts
of up to 70 per cent of the average price of a station’s airtime.
Carlton is now exploring ways of using its daytime programming to
generate off-screen revenue.
Carlton plans to use its own mini-network spanning the London, Central
and Westcountry regions, to broadcast daytime programming with off-air
commercial potential. The shows will be supported by dedicated websites
with advertising opportunities, as well as merchandise such as books and
videos.
The idea has been trialled with a show called Home in the Country, which
runs on Carlton’s three regions on Friday afternoons. The corresponding
website generated 100,000 visits last month.
The company is now working on a parenting programme, which will be
backed by a website for parents of young children, and which will also
sell a range of videos and publications catering to this market.
Martin Bowley, chief executive of Carlton sales, said the idea is to
ensure that daytime programming maximises its revenue. ’Advertisers who
think that daytime TV is just about spot advertising are making a
mistake.
’The daytime audience is now more defined because there is less
unemployment and they’re also using the internet. We want to harness
that by developing relationships with daytime viewers which go well
beyond TV programming and advertising.’
