I expect at some point all the movies you mention will appear on terrestrial TV, they're just taking a little longer than most.
Certain banned video nasties will probably never appear on terrestrial TV, and if they did would be heavily cut.
Most of the films termed as 'video nasties' would be able to play uncut no problem, most likely on something like the Horror Channel. The Saw and Hostel films have played uncut on mainstream TV and they are FAR more graphic than the VN's.
Though I feel uncut versions of Cannibal Holocaust and I Spit On Your Grave may possibly take some time to appear
This Sunday we finally get the terrestrial premiere of The Jungle Book on Channel 4. Made in 1967. So thats 48 years. That must be some kind of record. Could this be the longest gap between cinema and tv premiere ever?
This Sunday we finally get the terrestrial premiere of The Jungle Book on Channel 4. Made in 1967. So thats 48 years. That must be some kind of record. Could this be the longest gap between cinema and tv premiere ever?
Wasn't Lady and the Tramp only premiered on BBC One at Christmas about three years ago (and that's from 1955)?
Wasn't Lady and the Tramp only premiered on BBC One at Christmas about three years ago (and that's from 1955)?
Yes well remembered. i had forgotten about that. It was premiered on Christmas Eve 2012. So that would be 57 years. So that could be the record for the longest gap.
Yes well remembered. i had forgotten about that. It was premiered on Christmas Eve 2012. So that would be 57 years. So that could be the record for the longest gap.
Possibly the most "mainstream" example - although I wouldnt be surprised if Channel 4 showed some silent films in their early days that hadn't been seen for many more years.
Probably because sky and other subscription services have exclusive rights to these movies for years. Terrestrial TV channels also have a limited budget, and are probably priced out of a lot of movies.
The reason that films are rarer on FTA television than they used to be is that they don't, generally speaking, get big viewing figures, having been played on pay TV and released on home video already. Back in the 1950s, the film industry was terrifried of the competition from TV and there was a general rule that only films more than ten years old would be sold to TV. There was even a film industry body which bought the rights to films to prevent them from being sold to TV. Gradually, this situation changed as cinema audiences shrank and TV audiences grew. Big money could be made from selling TV rights, especially after the UK went over to colour TV in 1969. Things changed agian when home video appeared on the scene (rental only at first) and then pay TV services began. More money could be made from home video and pay TV than from FTA TV and the big audiences that movies used to routinely get on FTA dwindled. Disney was always a special case as it could make money by profiatbly re-releasing it's films in cinemas every few years, quite literally to a new audience. More recently, the cinema reissues have been replaced by home video, pay TV (including their own channel) and the company seems to make most of it's money from new releases and stage versions of old movies. This has led to some of what were considerd classic Disney movies finally being available to FTA TV at reasonable cost.
The domestic entertainment market is today so diverse that it is unlikely that movies will ever play as prominent a part on FTA TV as they used to. The fact that such a major Disney film as The Jungle Book is on Channel 4, rather than BBC1 or ITV speaks volumes.
The reason that films are rarer on FTA television than they used to be is that they don't, generally speaking, get big viewing figures, having been played on pay TV and released on home video already. Back in the 1950s, the film industry was terrifried of the competition from TV and there was a general rule that only films more than ten years old would be sold to TV. There was even a film industry body which bought the rights to films to prevent them from being sold to TV. Gradually, this situation changed as cinema audiences shrank and TV audiences grew. Big money could be made from selling TV rights, especially after the UK went over to colour TV in 1969. Things changed agian when home video appeared on the scene (rental only at first) and then pay TV services began. More money could be made from home video and pay TV than from FTA TV and the big audiences that movies used to routinely get on FTA dwindled. Disney was always a special case as it could make money by profiatbly re-releasing it's films in cinemas every few years, quite literally to a new audience. More recently, the cinema reissues have been replaced by home video, pay TV (including their own channel) and the company seems to make most of it's money from new releases and stage versions of old movies. This has led to some of what were considerd classic Disney movies finally being available to FTA TV at reasonable cost.
The domestic entertainment market is today so diverse that it is unlikely that movies will ever play as prominent a part on FTA TV as they used to. The fact that such a major Disney film as The Jungle Book is on Channel 4, rather than BBC1 or ITV speaks volumes.
Great post. Some really interesting points. As someone born in the 60's The Jungle Book is one of my favourite films of all time. I always thought if it got a tv premiere it would be on Christmas Day at 3.10 on BBc1 or ITV. Cant believe its on C4 this afternoon.
Half the available MCU films (Iron Man 2, Thor and Cap America) are also yet to premier along with Transformers 3.
Iron Man 2 has since you wrote them. I've never seen Thor or Captain America, and I'd like to, so I hope it does turn up. Marvel are hurting their comic universe by not letting us see those films. Agent Carter, for example, was harder to follow without having seen the film about her boyfriend.
Comments
I expect at some point all the movies you mention will appear on terrestrial TV, they're just taking a little longer than most.
Certain banned video nasties will probably never appear on terrestrial TV, and if they did would be heavily cut.
Most of the films termed as 'video nasties' would be able to play uncut no problem, most likely on something like the Horror Channel. The Saw and Hostel films have played uncut on mainstream TV and they are FAR more graphic than the VN's.
Though I feel uncut versions of Cannibal Holocaust and I Spit On Your Grave may possibly take some time to appear
It took a good while to be released on video too.
Also, I'm guessing they pay less to broadcast a film on itv 2 than itv 1 in sd and HD? Seems movies are used as filler for non hd channels
Pretty sure thats been on BBC One a number of times.
Wasn't Lady and the Tramp only premiered on BBC One at Christmas about three years ago (and that's from 1955)?
Yes well remembered. i had forgotten about that. It was premiered on Christmas Eve 2012. So that would be 57 years. So that could be the record for the longest gap.
Possibly the most "mainstream" example - although I wouldnt be surprised if Channel 4 showed some silent films in their early days that hadn't been seen for many more years.
I believe something similar kept the Dark Crystal off UK TV for years until recently.
The domestic entertainment market is today so diverse that it is unlikely that movies will ever play as prominent a part on FTA TV as they used to. The fact that such a major Disney film as The Jungle Book is on Channel 4, rather than BBC1 or ITV speaks volumes.
Great post. Some really interesting points. As someone born in the 60's The Jungle Book is one of my favourite films of all time. I always thought if it got a tv premiere it would be on Christmas Day at 3.10 on BBc1 or ITV. Cant believe its on C4 this afternoon.