Keeping one eye on the sky, another underground and both feet planted on the floor is a good trick if you can do it. And that is exactly how Thames Television International is exploiting the rich income promised by new television technology.

The sky eye is on the lookout for broadcast satellites, the underground eye for cable connections, and the firmly-planted feet are vital for anyone who wants to understand and explore the coming revolution in the way viewers use their television sets.

There are three potential rivals to the TV companies who at present dominate the airwaves. The first, video, is with us right now. Nearly a million British homes already possess a videotape recorder which gives them access not only to off-air programmes but a large and growing catalogue of pre-recorded films, music shows, look-and-learn cassettes and golden oldie television material.

The second threat comes from Direct Broadcast Satellites (hereafter called DBS). In America, satellites are already beaming programmes to local cable operators who pipe pictures to subscribers. And if the cash and the political consensus can be found, there could be a DBS perched above every country in Europe by 1990.

Cable itself is the third strand. Once again America leads the way, mainly because the cable was needed to improve signal quality. But now, many entrepreneurs provide viewers with an alternative service to the major networks, and American subscribers can buy anything from month-old movies to ‘live’ sex-shows from companies offering up to 50 different channels at the touch of a button.

Britain, of course, is a long way off that stage, and the initial demand for cable might be rather limited. But if the forthcoming experiments in a number of areas already cabled up are successful, fibre optic ‘narrow-casters’ could soon be spreading their tentacles under every street in the land.

If that happens, the search for programming to fill the new hours will be on, and indeed in America, the hue and cry is already at fever pitch.

So instead of fighting the alternative invaders, TTI has concluded that it is healthier to join them, and Thames material is already finding its way into the new markets.

Mike Phillips, who is TTI’s Controller of Commercial Development explains. ‘We’re already deeply involved in video, partly through the High Street outlets of our parent companies, Thorn-EMI and Rediffusion. There are now nine Thames titles in the EMI Video list, and they include Botanic Man, Swan Lake, The World At War and Kenny Everett. There’s a Benny Hill compilation, the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Shows from 1978 and 1980, some marvellous gymnastics, and the first of Alan Ayckbourn’s Norman Conquests plays trilogy, which Thames screened a while back. There’s obviously a great deal more in the pipeline, now that ITV has reached agreement over royalty payments with the talent unions.’

Much of this material will also find itself spinning profits at the rate of 700 revs per minute, when the video disc joins the battle next autumn.

Discs can be stamped in bulk much more cheaply than tape (which has to be run off in ‘real time’). They can provide stereo sound, and their 54,000 picture frames per disc can store vast amounts of information. On the other hand, they can’t record, and two, (possibly three) incompatible systems are already vying for market share.

Two systems – Philips’ Laser Vision and the VHD disc made by JVC and adopted by Thorn-EMI – use a hard-wearing groove less disc while RCA have developed a cheaper, less-sophisticated disc not unlike a conventional audio LP in appearance. All three are about the size of an ordinary record, played on machines no bigger than a music centre. The players will sell for between £350 and £5(M), and the discs for around £15.

The Thorn-EMI/Rediffusion connections will ensure Thames a prominent place in the market. When launch day comes next year, Everett, Bellamy & Co will be on show in up to 7,000 rental and retail outlets in the chain of wholly-owned or contracted Thorn-EMI and Rediffusion shops featuring the new VHD disc system. But, says Phillips, Thames material is also available to distributors using the other disc formats, so TTI hope for massive penetration of the new markets as soon as the discs hit the High Street.

As for satellites, Muir Sutherland (TTI’s Managing Director) is still fairly sceptical. ‘The DBS is still a long way off in Britain and Europe and it will take a lot of political will to persuade governments that foreign-owned satellites should be allowed to invade their broadcasting airspace.’

‘And I’m not sure how many viewers will want to spend the money for the big dish aerials; there are still many technical problems in providing a reliable service. Satellites are going to be far more valuable as a means of distributing material to cable operators, as in America.’ Joe McCann (TTI’s Controller of Television Sales) and Don Taffner (their US Representative), have created a lot of interest in these new outlets for Thames programming. They’re finalising sales of Benny Hill to Home Box Office, Napoleon and Love and Swan Lake to CBS, Warner Amex are buying The Tomorrow People for their children’s channel, and other very large deals are close to completion.

‘We think Thames has a huge stockpile of material to offer the new cable operations,’ says Joe, ‘and they are also keen to bring their projects to us as well.’

All sorts of joint-production possibilities are opened to Thames International. But says Mike Phillips, ‘We musn’t get it out of perspective. Co-financing never covers the actual cost of making a programme, but it does help offset the cost and it might help us to go ahead with projects we couldn’t afford on our own.’

In the meantime, TTI is looking at all the new American cable operations and selling appropriate programmes where it can. Thames was offered an exclusive deal with one organisation, much like the deal the BBC has just made with RCTV. one of the cable newcomers, but as TTI already earns more from the USA than the recorded BBC annual guarantee, it prefers to play the field and exploit different markets in different ways.

As Muir Sutherland says, ‘We’re delighted that the BBC have agreed to enter into an exclusive deal in the USA, if only because it means that the other channels can’t get their hands on BBC programmes, and puts us in a stronger position.’

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Thames Television is London’s major ITV station, with headquarters and studios in the heart of the city on the Euston Road, with the main multi-studio complex sited fifteen miles away, on a bend of the river Thames at Teddington.

Our programmes cover the whole range of modern television, from Botanic Man to Edward and Mrs Simpson, Hazell and the Kenny Everett Video Show.

Our success as a medium for advertising is directly linked to the quality of our programmes. Thames’ plans for the future include a four-part film series of Quatermass, starring Sir John Mills as the famous professor; Love in a Cold Climate, a dramatisation of Nancy Mitford’s best-selling novel; Hollywood our celebration of the silent film; and new programmes from top-class entertainers like Max Bygraves and Morecambe and Wise.

Filming entirely on location, our subsidiary Euston Films produces taut drama series like The Sweeney and the six-part serial Out, starring Tom Bell.

Thames has an unrivalled reputation for documentary films like Palestine, our three-part history of the birth of Israel, while each week TV Eye brings back film of a major news story from all over the world. We’re proud to say that our programmes equal the best in the world, having won all the major international prizes, including America’s coveted Emmy award. Thames is the only company to have won the Prix Italia four times, including victories in all three categories.

As London’s weekday station, Thames has a special responsibility to viewers in the London area. Since September 1978 we have seen the establishment of a comprehensive local news service for London. Andrew Gardner, Rita Carter and Robert Southgate introduce the main daily local news programme at six o’clock, which is supported by bulletins at lunch-time and late in the evening. In addition, the weekly half-hour Thames Report, looks in depth at the most important story of the week in London. A considerable investment in personnel and equipment has made it possible to cover stories as they happen, right up until transmission – if necessary, through a live outside broadcast.

Sports coverage is also expanding with Thames Sport Roger Allison’s Friday round-up. And we’ll be providing exclusive coverage of major events in international gymnastics, while Thames will be powerfully represented in the hundred-strong ITV team for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

As well as being shown across the country through the ITV network, Thames programmes made for the London viewer have conquered the world.

Thames is the largest exporter of programmes to Australia, where Benny Hill, The World at War and George and Mildred have topped the ratings. In the USA, Three’s Company, which was derived from Thames’ Man about the House, was the most successful new programme in 1977/78. In Europe The Naked Civil Servant has been shown in sixteen countries and Father, Dear Father topped the ratings in Italy. Thames is making an impact with quality programmes, in more than a hundred countries all over the world.

Our chief source of revenue is the screen-time we sell to advertisers. We take no cash from the government television licence fee. Instead we provide the most influential platform for advertising in the London area.

The Thames area covers London and most of South East England, stretching from Brighton to Buckingham and Braintree, from Thanet to Oxfordshire. That area contains more than a quarter of the British people in eleven counties around London.

Thames Television Limited
306 Euston Road – London – NW1 3BB – 01-387 9494

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My other objective was of course to break down those barriers created by any merger when it brings together executives from rival companies of totally different philosophies. This was only the beginning of a long and tortuous process, for the loyalties of Rediffusion staff were deep and it took several years to overcome their natural resentment of ABC control being forced upon them. I knew that total integration of the two companies could only be attained by joint achievements, when everyone would be proud to work under the banner of the new company, Thames. Therefore this was a further inducement (if any were needed) for Thames to emerge as the leader in current affairs and informational programmes, in addition to its acknowledged strength in entertainment and drama.

The highspot, I decided, would be The Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten which had been a Rediffusion creation. Once having decided to play this as a trump card and break away from the ITV network practice of putting on documentary series at off-peak time I tried to induce ATV, Granada and Yorkshire to follow Thames’ lead and run the series at 9 p.m. This proposal was gently supported by the Authority (although not made a ‘requirement’) but it was not found acceptable, and others slotted the programmes for 10.30 p.m. directly after News at Ten, athough eventually one or two of the regions did follow our lead.

In a despairing effort to coax the two most powerful executives, Cedi Bernstein and Lew Grade, into nine o’clock networking with us I harnessed the driving force of the dauntless Lord Mountbatten. During one of the social events we cornered Lew and Cecil, and Lord Mountbatten went straight into the attack. Lew was immovable: ‘Howard must be mad, putting on your programme against the BBC at nine! That’s when the BBC put on all those sexy plays with bad language. You’ll get slaughtered. Now when I put on the programmes, after the news at 10.30, there’ll be no opposition.’ (No opposition, I thought, only football matches and feature films.) Lord Mountbatten did not withdraw from his attack until Lew Grade told him: ‘I guarantee, Lord Mountbatten, that ATV will get better ratings than Thames. In fact, I’m so sure I’ll bet on it. If Thames get higher ratings than ATV I’ll pay you five hundred pounds.’ In fact, Thames did achieve higher ratings at 9 p.m. than ATV at 10.30 p.m. and I reminded Lew Grade of this bet. ‘I know, I’ve already sent Mountbatten my cheque.’ He lit a new cigar and added ‘Cheap at the price, wasn’t it?’

Thus when Thames next offered a series of equal importance – The World at War – the companies all agreed to follow our lead and network this at 9 p.m. The programmes were rarely out of the top ten. For once, we did bring out the brass band to launch The Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten with a flourish of trumpets and drums, for this series clearly had the stamp of success. We decided to have three ‘premieres’ at the Imperial War Museum, which had been such a valuable source of material for us. The first showing was for Lord Mountbatten’s military colleagues, the other for the Queen and her family, and the third for the press. The premiere for Her Majesty was probably more royal than any previous occasion, attracting the entire royal family with the exception of the Duke of Gloucester who was ill.

I found with Lord Mountbatten that in spite of his forceful personality he was susceptible to reasoned resistance, and there were several occasions when he gave in to determined argument. Our opinions differed about the values of various episodes depicting his career. For the press screening he wanted to show the episode he had selected for the Queen, his magnificent days in India. I agreed that nothing could be better for the Royal screening but it was not the right episode for the press. I wanted the second of the series, The Kings Depart, which told the story of his marriage to Edwina Ashley and their honeymoon in Hollywood, where they had made a picture which was preserved in his astonishing collection of Mountbatten films. The honeymooners had stayed at the home of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford and taken part in a film Nice and Friendly, with Charlie Chaplin and the ‘Kid’, Jackie Coogan. It was funny and touching and was inevitably a hit with the newspaper men. Lord Mountbatten agreed afterwards that it was the correct decision. Our sales organisation went on to distribute the series on behalf of his Trust throughout the world.

For the first time we were able to break into French television. Only Mountbatten could have gone direct to De Gaulle to have the series shown in France. He then proceeded to re-record the commentaries in French, and indefatigably went through the same process to record a German version when German television also took the programmes. Our only failure was in the United States, where in spite of all the pressures and efforts the networks once again refused to find time for a series of British documentaries. Lord Mountbatten had Henry Ford as his house guest at Broadlands, for what I anticipated would be the most expensive outing of Mr Ford’s life, to sponsor the series in America. Although Mr Ford was willing, the American network concerned would not accept the programmes because they thought it would be disadvantageous to their ratings.

This series helped to consolidate the network, as well as Thames. Weekdays were now firmly established, partly because of the variable performance of the week-end schedules. The unpredictability and unreliability of Friday evening and week-end programmes disturbed the advertisers, who always wanted to be sure that their commercials would reach a known and countable audience. This could be guaranteed only on weekday television.

Thames could now claim leadership of the network, for the most effective programmes were concentrated from Monday to Thursday, based on Thames’ formula of the best of ABC and Rediffusion, plus new programmes, reinforced by the cream of the output of the three major regional companies. All this we celebrated at our first staff dance in January 1969, symbolising the union of the two companies. We had to take the huge Lyceum ballroom in the Strand to accommodate the staff of 1,600 plus their wives, husbands and friends, jubilant and secure after two years of doubts and hazards. All this gave me some satisfaction – not least that after twelve years of journeying from London to Manchester and Birmingham it was a joy to have my travels limited to Teddington.

Thames had moved into its new building on the Euston Road, which had been designed for the next phase of television, and we went forward with confidence into the world of colour. Now we set ourselves new sights with large-scale programmes which would take two or three years to mature.

Yet all was not well in the pastures of Golden Square. For years there had been trepidation about the inevitable sale of Warner Brothers’ share interest in ABPC; with Jack Warner’s advancing years speculation and rumour had opened up all sorts of possibilities. Then came a stranger at the door. At the end of January 1968 Electric & Musical Industries Ltd, had informed the Associated British Picture Corporation that they had agreed to purchase from Warner Brothers four million Ordinary Stock Units and thus acquired twenty-five per cent of the issued Ordinary Capital of the Corporation. Sir Philip Warter announced that the two companies had agreed to co-operate in the ‘full development of their combined resources in the field of entertainment at home and overseas. To this end the Board of the Corporation has invited EMI to nominate two directors for the Board of the Corporation.’ The two directors were John Read and Bernard Delfont.

Now the solid Associated British Picture Corporation began to feel the tremors of changes ahead. But Thames Television was consolidating its position in the television industry.

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For years the formidable task of recording on television for posterity the history of World War II had bedazzled and yet daunted both BBC and ITV. The Corporation must have spent thousands of pounds on research, and bulky reports were piling an on executive desks. So was the cost, and therefore the BBC kept postponing a decision on such a mammoth undertaking.

At Thames, Jeremy Isaacs, the Controller of Features and Current Affairs programmes, had been nursing the possibilities of the subject for some time and had assessed the cost (including a special team researching for three years and assembling archive films) at £500,000. This proposal had the support of the Director of Programmes, Brian Tesler, and when we discussed at the Board meeting how best to deploy the uplift in our net revenue income I put forward The World at War. Inflation, higher salaries, travel, and particularly higher exchange rates to buy foreign film material soon made Isaacs’ budget out-of-date. By the time the twenty-six programmes were completed almost £1,000,000 [£12.5million] had been spent. The cost was eventually recovered because the series was transmitted in most countries throughout the world; but the importance of the series was that it was ITV’s ultimate challenge to the BBC in their domination of high quality documentary and current affairs programmes. The World at War proved that ITV was at least equal to the BBC’s highest standards, and, more salient, the ITV mass audience could be riveted to their receivers week after week by serious documentary programmes at the peak hour of nine o’clock.

My fears that the appeal of such an historic series would be largely to a middle-aged audience, for nostalgic reasons, mere disproved by research which established that the younger audience was equally fascinated. The success of the series owed much to the decision that it should be produced by a team of young people re-discovering 1939-45, with the years of strife seen through their eyes, rather than by older men remembering.

As the ITV contracts were extended, inflation forced costs to soar and advertisers to cut down their expenditure. From the peak results in 1973-4 the following years brought descending profits, reflecting the all-too-familiar switchback of ITV fortunes. By now the Government had accepted our arguments that levy should be taken on profits and not on revenue, but the swingeing two-thirds of net profits before tax was greater than the industry could bear without reducing expenditure on programmes. Once again the companies went knocking at the doors of the Treasury and the Home Office, pleading to be allowed to retain a higher proportion of their profits so that they could invest the necessary millions in important long-term projects.

Money counted in millions needs to flow through the veins of both BBC and ITV if big and bold concepts are to be brought to fruition. For Churchill’s centenary year only a wealthy company like Thames could have afforded to embark on such a spectacular drama series as Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill with Lee Remick as its star. Two years later, when profits were halved by reduced advertisement revenue, not even Thames could have afforded such a lavish programme. Again, the gamble of, for example, a 1977 Avengers-type of series would have cost £2,500,000 [£17million] for twenty-six one-hour episodes, a dangerous allocation of dwindling profits which few would contemplate.

The Independent Companies’ problem today is to find space for expansion, to employ fully the talents which have been generated to establish Britain as the standard bearer of quality television programme production. The solution lies in a second channel for ITV, promised long ago by previous Governments but still being sought against opposition by educationists, propagandists and political adversaries.

The film industry has waned, the press is shrinking in size and importance, and only the television programme industry seems capable of expansion and earning increasing overseas income. Ten years after the Labour Party had opposed the ending of BBC monopoly by the innovation of Independent Television, the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, made a public statement declaring ITV to be ‘part of our social system and part of our national way of life’. A decade later the time has come to clear the for Independent Television to break out of its confines and to press forward, to become not only a national institution but a world force.

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The Prix Italia Presented by RAI, Italy’s public broadcasting organization, the Prix Italia has been described by The Times as ‘the most honoured prize a programme can receive. Awarded in three categories, drama, documentary and music, the Prix Italia generates fierce competition among the world’s programme producers. Thames is the only ITV company to have won the Prix Italia in all three categories.

• 1972 We Was All One Best Documentary
• 1976 The Naked Civil Servant Best Drama
• 1976 Beauty, Bonnie, Daisy, Violet, Grace and Geoffrey Morton Best Documentary
• 1977 St. Nicolas Cantata Best Music Programme
• 1980 Creggan Best Documentary

The Prix Jeunesse Equal in stature to the Prix Italia, the Prix Jeunesse is awarded solely to children’s programmes.

• 1972 Magpie – My Brother David UNICEF Prize
• 1974 Magpie – Like Ordinary Children
• 1982 The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Emmy Award The Emmy is America’s top television award. It is given in two categories: the national Emmy (for programmes transmitted in that year on American television); and the international Emmy, awarded to programmes made outside the United States of America.

• 1974 The World at War National Emmy for ‘outstanding documentary achievements in programmes dealing with artistic, historic or cultural subjects.’
• 1976 Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill National Emmy for ‘outstanding achievement in costume design for a drama series.’
• 1976 The Naked Civil Servant International Emmy for ‘outstanding achievement in entertainment programming.’
• 1979 Palestine National Emmy for ‘outstanding programme achievement.’
• 1980 Edward and Mrs. Simpson National Emmy for ‘outstanding limited series’

BAFTA Awards The British Association of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) are Britain’s answer to the American Oscars for outstanding achievements in film and television production.

• 1972 The Benny Hill Show Best light entertainment programme
• 1975 Beauty, Bonnie, Daisy, Violet, Grace and Geoffrey Morton Best factual programme
• 1977 Rock Follies Best drama series/serial
• 1979 Edward & Mrs. Simpson Best drama series/serial
• 1979 The Kenny Everett Video Show Best light entertainment programme
• 1982 The Pied Piper of Hamelin Best children’s programme

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Thames Television International, the company’s subsidiary for overseas distribution, maintains a network of agents across the globe. It participates in all the important international television festivals, and even runs one of its own, The London Screenings, which regularly draws nearly two hundred delegates to London from countries as far apart as Rumania and Hong Kong.

Thames International is also a major distributor of programmes from other producers, and has achieved further successes with versions of British programmes for the American market. For example, Thames International re-edited Benny Hill’s shows into half hours specifically for the American market with the result that he has become a cult for viewers from coast to coast. Similarly the situation comedies Man About The House and Keep It In The Family have been developed in new US versions achieving top ratings such as ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘Too Close For Comfort.’

Technological advance, bringing new media like cable TV, video discs and cassettes, means that there is always a new market for programmes from Thames, and nowhere more than in Britain’s growing home video market. Since March 1981, when Thames Video began operations, videocassettes including The Royal Wedding, The Benny Hill Show, Kenny Everett, The World at War and The Naked Civil Servant have made a considerable impact. And worldwide, Thames videocassettes are securing the high reputation for quality that is already associated with Thames programmes.

Thames also has a considerable interest in publishing, largely but not entirely as a follow-up and reinforcement of Thames on-air output. Books like The World at War and The Troubles make the information presented in the series available to the interested viewer in more detail; in the same way, Thames published Rainbow stories and Theatre Box plays for children.

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In 1977 Thames Television International, already established among the world’s top ten sellers of TV programmes, achieved two major landmarks. For the first time, more than one hundred countries now see Thames programmes. And with gross sales of over £3 million, the resulting profit from overseas sales has now topped £1 million.

In other innovatory areas too, 1977 was a year of firsts for Thames International:

AMERICA. The most successful new series on the American Networks during 1977 was Three’s Company, derived from Thames’ Man About the House. ABC purchased the programme format, which was adapted for American viewers by the top writing team of Nicholl, Ross and West. The first series in March was quickly established in the Nielson Top Ten, playing opposite ‘Hawaii Five-O’, and with the second autumn series regularly placed in the nation’s top three programmes, Three’s Company promises to repeat the success of its Thames predecessor. International distribution for the American series was retained by Thames, and with sales from Canada to Australia (and Britain) already achieved, Three’s Company will be one of Thames’ biggest international properties during 1978. And in South America Thames comedy made its debut when Man About The House was sold to Brazil.

EUROPE. Thames programmes are now familiar to European televiewers (16 countries in Europe have seen The Naked Civil Servant). During 1977 sales more than doubled, to top £¾ million. Most important sale was The World at War to France, the highest-earning single sale of Thames’ most successful overseas seller. Comedy, formerly considered ‘unexportable’ made large inroads: Father Dear Father made its debut in Spain, Italy where it topped the ratings, and Germany, where with Man About The House it was dubbed into German. And Jamie and the Magic Torch proved popular in Hungary, home of the world’s experts in animation.

AUSTRALIA. 1977 saw Thames become the biggest British programme exporter (including the BBC) to the crucial Australian market. All kinds of programmes are purchased by Australia from Thames: George & Mildred (ABC), Love Thy Neighbour (7 Network), The World at War (9 Network) and Benny Hill (0/10 Network) have all been the highest-rated programmes on the respective networks, and Benny Hill achieved the year’s single highest audience with a one-hour special which he travelled to Australia to make. Other countries where Thames is the largest UK exporter range from Greece to the newly-inaugurated Swaziland television service.

BRITAIN. Since Thames acquired distribution rights of New Zealand-made programmes, Thames International has entered the business of selling programmes to British companies. Most successful is Hunter’s Gold, now sold to sixteen countries – including the BBC.

IRAN. The National Iranian Radio and Television (NIRT) studios played host to Rainbow creator Pamela Lonsdale in June.

She was in Tehran to advise on a unique project, adapting the content of over a hundred Rainbow programmes for the young Iranian audience and their culture. Original actuality film sequences, drawings and music were combined with NIRT-originated material, Farsi-language voice-overs were dubbed on, and the end product was a series of Iranian Rainbows, which still retained the aims and techniques of the Thames programmes made for the British child. This served as forerunner to a similar operation in Jordan, where producer Charles Warren is helping in the making of an Arabic version to be screened throughout the Arab world.

THAMES TELEVISION INTERNATIONAL – SELLING TO THE WORLD

During 1977 Thames Television International executives travelled nearly 150,000 air miles, visiting 37 countries and selling a record total of 5,327 hours of programming.

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From its beginning only nine years ago, Thames Television has become one of the world’s biggest exporters of television programmes. There are several reasons.

First, we attempt the impossible. That’s how we took over a New York TV station for a week. That’s how we’ve managed to turn our British success Man About the House into a new American network show called Three’s Company, joining ABC TV in the production and retaining world sales rights. It’s also how we managed to sell a British gardening series on the somewhat unpromising soil of Kuwait.

Secondly, we offer a service, not just a sale. When we sold the format of our award-winning children’s series Rainbow to Iran, for example, we had producer Pam Lonsdale fly out to act as production advisor.

Thirdly, we think our market is bigger than the TV entertainment stations of the world. Universities are among our most regular international customers; The World at War, now seen in 64 countries, was acquired by the US Army and Navy for their education divisions; and our factual documentary on the French DC10 disaster found buyers amongst the top world airlines.

Those are three reasons. But the underlaying fact is one that should lie behind all successful exporting: we make products of unrivalled quality that the world wants to buy.

Thames Television International:
British programmes for the world

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Time was when the countries watching Thames Television didn’t even run from A to B, let alone Z. But now Zanzibar has become the hundredth country to by Thames programmes for its own television service.

In four short years, under Managing Director Muir Sutherland, Thames Television International has brought export sale up above the £3,000,000 mark. They’ve done it by creative, aggressive selling in world markets of the programmes we make for audiences here in the UK.

The World at War to 64 countries, including Germany, Italy and Japan. Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill to 41 countries, and The Sweeney to 34. Father, Dear Father to 29 countries, and children’s series like The Tomorrow People, so far seen in 32 countries.

Thames Television is a British company that makes only one product: TV programmes on film and videotape. Where we diversify is in the language of our audience.

Thames Television International:
British programmes for the world

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Today, from the television mast on the Empire State Building, a British television service begins transmitting to the 17 million people of New York. To celebrate the US Bicentennial and the 21st anniversary of ITV in Britain, Thames Television is making broadcasting history with a week on New York’s Channel 9.

Thames Television New York is a completely British television service in programmes, news, announcers and presentation, together with British-style commercial breaks in which leading UK companies are advertising to America.

This unique event has been created for Britain thanks to Thames’ enterprise, and to the international reputation of British television. The objective is to increase still further the company’s programme exports, which have already won the distinction of American Emmy awards for The World at War and Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill. We hope also to promote effectively those companies who have joined us in the venture, and to help consolidate Britain’s business reputation in America.

We would like to thank WOR-TV New York, the American Federal Communications Commission, the British Overseas Trade Board London, The British Trade Development Office New York and Thames’ staff in London and New York for the enthusiastic support which made possible Thames Television New York.

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Raymond Aron

Sir Isaiah Berlin

Anthony Crosland

Paul Foot

Denis Healey

Sir Keith Joseph

Enoch Powell

Brian Abel-Smith

James Baldwin

Bishop Butler

Lord Devlin

J.K. Galbraith

Roy Jenkins

Herbert Marcuse

Shirley Williams

Talking about ITV2

“All the people named above have spoken this year in a single Thames Television series. The series, which brings important intellectual debate to a wide public, was the first on British television to give its participants proper time to develop their arguments and ideas. Hence the eminent authorities it has attracted and continues to attract.

Some people may be surprised to find that such series are made by an ITV company. And perhaps they are right to be surprised. For the imagination and professionalism of Thames’ programme staff has far too few outlets on the present single channel. Their many ideas for serious minority programmes cannot possibly receive sufficient screen time, especially as ITV is always opposed by the combined forces of BBC1 and BBC2.

Nevertheless, towards the day when additional channels provide further opportunities, Thames will go on devoting the largest possible proportion of its output to serious and informative television.”

HOWARD THOMAS, Managing Director

THAMES

today • this week • good afternoon •  something to say • treasures of the british museum
the second world war (in production) • documentaries including we was all one (winner 1972 Prix Italia)
my brother david (winner 1972 UNICEF award) • adult education and schools programmes

Thames Television, 306-316 Euston Road, London NW1 3BB

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