Existing Sky / BBC deal = £88m per year.

New Sky deal = £65m per year.

So a 26% price cut.

Quite telling that the BBC can't even retain their existing rights at a price 26% lower than they are currently paying.

(Could argue that they couldn't have got the exact same games for precisely 26% less if the price "mix" has changed but you get the thrust of the point!)

Is C5's budget as high as £250m?

This article says it was only £135m in 2010:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011...el-6-channel-5

There's been a mixed record of series being set abroad recently. Wild at Heart and Benidorm have done well, Zen did okay, No. 1 Ladies' Detectives Agency did poorly for its series. So you can't really tell how it'll rate based on that. Having it as a co-production is a good idea. I bet the BBC are paying the same amount of money they do for a normal drama, but with other financers involved, it'll hopefully be a more stylish, lavish quality drama than most other series. Eight episodes is risky, as always, but it sounds good and I think it could rate well.

Another day, another media report about the potential ratings for the Royal Wedding.


Source: brandrepublic.

A bit lower than some of the other estimates I've seen. I could see that one being pretty near the money.

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click here to play the TV Ratings Prediction Game – new season starts tomorrow, everyone welcome.

I guess the Carribean is slightly less risky than another planet eg Outcasts

Lol WAH and Benidorm didnt even enter my head, presumably because WAH is so family styled and Benidorm is so associated with tourists from Britain.
Your right about Zen but it didnt stop the axe and although I liked No1 LDA it got pulled mid run. Like you say hit and miss.

EDIT: Could add A Year in Provence and Eldorado from 90's. Eldorado was just plain bad, AYIP started off with 14 million viewers and had lost 10 million by the end of its run. John Thaw at the height of his popularity-something just did not click with that series.

Checking what you say, Dancc, maybe some kind of landmark show like BB could make C5 profitable and would at least guarantee them 2 million a night. I was more concerned that Des would make it some kind of parody. However, he might not, but OTH I think the whole show will be revamped: no Davina, no crowd outside, a new theme instead of that tired dance tune and hopefully a new lease of life as C4 seemed embarassed and bored with BB for the last three series.

I just have a hunch the BBC have done their sums and not bid with any kind of seriousness. I am assuming they might want to put up more of a fight for other things. A house of cards style loss of sports rights is going to be a goldmine for the likes of the Daily Mail.

Wallander, Mad Dogs, Zen, First Ladies Detective Agency, Benidorm........

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I hadn't seen the date/time for this yet. What a blasted stupid time, some of us have to get up and go to work the next day.

Better set series record

On US TV last night The Borgias was Showtime's highest rated premiere in 7 years with 1.1m.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...en-years/88186




AMC's adaption of The Killing had 2.7m.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...-viewers/88172


The Kennedy's had a record 1.9m for the ReelzChannel.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...channel-174384

Has any UK channel bought The Borgias?


Or how about this - no soaps during British summer time!


Although on it's own the 1m figure is half of what I was expecting, when compared with the BBC1 figures (presumably on Bank Holidays or over Christmas/Easter) it didn't do too well there either, so no surprise it flopped.

Did Disney ever continue the franchise - weren't they planning to return to the telemoive format with a new cast?


True Blood didn't do that well really after the first couple of weeks - but I agree pay-TV shows at least deserve a shot on free to air, though I think they're better suited to digital channels than the main channel. Fiver and Five USA has pretty much been based around second run content.


£500k an hour - I don't think so - networks are only paying that for high end drama and entertainment, something you don't get on C5. I doubt much of their programming tops £100-£200k an hour.


And not too surprised by the Football League news - the BBC really couldn't justify renewing the Championship rights - the question is whether they'll still be interested in the highlights too.

As occured in the 1995-99 period when the BBC lost Cheltenham, Formula One, the FA Cup, parts of the Six Nations, rugby league internationals and all of the cricket. I think what the BBC is doing now is maybe sacrificing the Carling Cup and the football league, which isn't a huge ratings draw, to save their main sporting contracts.

Very solid stuff for both of the big dramas last night. Waking the Dead perhaps holding stronger than I might have imagined. The strength and crossover of the Countryfile/AR double must have made it very difficult for Lewis to pick up steam in the 8pm hour. They're really remarkably consistent performers. Poor for The Cube.

Louis Theroux is always a pretty reliable hit for BBC Two. A disappointing night for the remaining two terrestrials though - especially C5 with HSM3.


It does look low compared to the audience shares they've been racking up throughout the big international stories. Though its maybe not surprising their share skews higher considering the number of businesses and workplaces that have them on all day.

For sure though, I'd say the majority of news viewers are sticking to the traditional bulletins, and I'm sure they'll be around a long time even after DSO is complete.


Another modest success for BBC Four - they're building a good little niche with European drama now that Sky snap up almost all the US stuff (I wonder how long it'll be before they come sniffing for Euro-cops too...?). Richard Klein does a terrific job with that channel considering the budget he has to work with.


The reports were that they didn't bid at all, were they not? I'm not surprised. Of their main, expensive sport contracts, this one was easily the most expendable. I'd still expect something else expensive to drop at some point, though. F1 or the Six Nations would be my expectation, though there'd be much more of a fight.

Great numbers for both, and to a lesser extent The Borgias.

I wonder how The Kennedys will do for History on Thursday, a channel that rarely tops 100k for a programme. That will be fascinating.

We will definitely find out how it rates because attentional have previewed it on their ratings blog.

The official BBC line on not bidding for the live FL rights,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12965536

The advertising campaign has been pretty comprehensive so I imagine they will have high hopes - very hard to predict though.

If Pollyanna Woodward's skirt on Channel Five's The Gadget Show doesn't improve ratings, nothing will

AYIP was a spectacular flop. A drama that was too middle-class and elitist even for a BBC1 audience. That's some acheivement. (People who own second homes in France! Nearly as annoying as people who drive four-by-fours in the suburbs.)


I think I saw The Borgias featured on a Sky Atlantic promo, but don't quote me on it.

Correct

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/new...ue-bloods.html

Very good article about the lack of new U.S shows that can work in international markets. It also noted the success that BBC4 have had with The Killing, securing strong ratings at a small cost.


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...sis-has-173964

AYIP was part of a disastrous run of expensive drama flops on BBC One at the time that included as very expensive series about Cecil Rhodes that dragged on and struggled to get 5 million viewers, and other tedious and little remembered drama disasters like Trainer and Strathblair. Indeed ITV only regarded Casualty and EE as threats as it dominated drama in the mid nineties.
Actually this was a golden era for innovative and daring drama on ITV that saw Band of Gold, Silent Witness and The Governess commissioned with audiences of 10-15 million. Also their mainstream series like Soldier Soldier, London's Burning and Peak Practice were far better than the BBC's offerings.

I doubt The Wright Stuff and The Vanessa Show cost £10million a year

And with the amount of repeats they get away with showing, I guess Milkshake is probably quite cheap too (I'm sure some Peppa Pig episodes get shown 5+ times a year). Plus at least some of the programming must be very very cheap (Milkshake Show Songs comes to mind)

If that article is true and BBC4 managed to get a hefty audience for them at $1600 an hour, then thats brilliant business for them, especially when compared with how much SKy pay HBO for the likes of Broadwalk Empire!

And how much are Sky paying for Boardwalk Empire?