The BIG Brother Bid...
Channel 4 could be asked to pay £70m - nearly double what it currently pays - for future series of Big Brother, according to sources within the broadcaster.
Channel 4 and Endemol are understood to be gearing up for negotiations over the next Big Brother deal once the current two-year agreement - which covers next year's round of Big Brother programmes - comes to an end.
Endemol is thought to have taken a hard line over its demands. It is understood that the company is preparing to demand that the current fee of about £40m a year be increased to about £70m a year in the wake of the continuing popularity of the show, which also generates lucrative revenue from public voting.
This lump sum paid by Channel 4 to Endemol would, as has happened in the past, cover the rights and production costs of all Big Brother programming, including the main series, the E4 spin-off Big Brother's Little Brother, and the celebrity edition of the show, which airs around January.
But Endemol is thought to be keen to capitalise on the fact that the show has been identified as a potential target for Channel 4's rival broadcaster ITV.
ITV1 experienced a disastrous ratings performance last summer, largely due to the continuing popularity of Big Brother.
ITV has also had particularly frosty relationship with Channel 4 since ITV's former chief executive, Charles Allen, targeted Channel 4 in his recent MacTaggart Lecture at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival.
One Channel 4 source said that informal preliminary negotiations with Endemol over the next deal had begun, adding: "ITV has been trying and failing for years to get an answer to Big Brother, so it's not surprising that they would want it for themselves.
"But there is also a lot of confidence here at Channel 4 that it will remain our programme."
If Channel 4 does win a possible bidding war, future Big Brother runs will be no longer than last year's 13 weeks, following comments at the recent Edinburgh TV festival by the Channel 4 director of programmes, Kevin Lygo.
He said that the 13-week run on Channel 4 was the maximum that would be considered. The first series in 2000 lasted nine weeks, and last year's lasted 11.
At the festival session in August, Mr Lygo also said that ITV wanted to "steal" most of his channel's best and most popular output.
It is also understood that Endemol is looking at the possibility of creating its own "Big Brother channel" - airing the footage over the internet.
Spokesmen for both Channel 4 and Endemol declined to comment on claims about the negotiations, with both saying that the discussions were "confidential".
Ben Dowell
There’s no harm in a little competition but I generally think that Channel 4 should continue with their annual broadcast of Big Brother as audiences are content with this. People may feel confused if this was all of a sudden moved to ITV, home of X-Factor and Pop Idol, therefore to avoid a moral panic emerging, I urge Channel 4 to just pay the £70m offer and leave the general public with one less thing to worry about.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1931380,00.html
posted by Dinni @ 3:38 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home