ITV cuts daytime price to recoup lost revenue

ITV is offering substantial one-off price discounts on its daytime airtime to help replace advertising revenue lost from Procter & Gamble and supermarket chains this year.

One-off discounts of 50 per cent and more are being offered by Carlton Sales to first-time TV advertisers to create a new market of daytime-only advertisers. ITV already trades daytime at around 60 per cent below peak-time.

Carlton Sales has been especially hard hit by a cut in spend by P&G and multiples this year. Agency estimates put the overall daytime shortfall for ITV at up to ten per cent compared with last year.

“There are short-term opportunities to get on air with a low capital cost,” says Steve Platt, Carlton’s sales director. “Our share of viewing is better than last year, so it is proving a good deal at the moment.”

Daytime TV is also suffering compared with peak time, which has attracted money from Channel 4 because of the channel’s inflation problems (MW March 22). High-spending telecoms and car advertisers also boost later time slots, leaving daytime to drag down ITV’s average revenues.

Carlton has already tried to encourage advertisers back onto daytime TV in the summer with an interactive ad-based quiz game for viewers.