Originally Posted by David_Flett1:
“Retaining The Great British Bake Off was always going to be a challenge for the BBC, indeed the same would apply to any other PBS. The commercial sector seldom takes risks with such formats, One can argue that relying on ad revenue they cannot afford to and that is the irony because if we didn’t have a licence funded broadcaster then shows such as Bake Off and Strictly would not exist. Love Productions tried in vain for 4 years to sell the format to the commercial sector with no takers, when the BBC stepped in the first season only attracted 2 million viewers. The irony once again is that had the commercial sector taken up the opportunity, it is very likely that One: it probably wouldn’t have attracted 2 million viewers and Two: If it did, it would likely have not survived. The commercial sector had more than a decade to come up with a format to replace the BBC’s long forgotten Come Dancing, they didn’t, instead, they went for the popular music format which was very successful. The BBC put on their dancing shoes and quickly clawed back the crown of Saturday Night.
The commercial sector weren’t bothered about baking or dancing, it they had, they would have taken up the option of Bake Off 4 years before it saw the light of day on the BBC and for a decade dancing was seen as a pastime for the old folks or at the other extreme rave venues for the young, certainly no place for Prime Time Saturday evenings. You can’t blame Love Productions for taking advantage, the Bake Off success attracted SKY to take a substantial share in the company and there we have another irony, the commercial sector doesn’t have to take the same risks but can take advantage of PBS successes. The licence fee allows the BBC to take on these formats but it doesn’t allow them to make the same bids to buy into these production companies with the same backing as the commercial sector.
The licence fee will always be a conundrum, It will attract support and disdain almost in equal measure but without it there would be a very unbalanced broadcasting landscape. The BBC doesn’t compete for advertising revenue allowing the commercial sector to benefit from a huge revenue stream. The PAY TV sector can bid even higher as long as they are able to retain a high subscription base with a significant advantage over both the BBC and the ad funded commercial sector, they can also use communications revenue to underpin their operations and have some of that advertising cake into the bargain. The licence payer is stuck with what in principle works for many just as tax funds other public services such as arts centres, museums, libraries, public parks, rivers, canals etc. We don’t all visit arts centres or museums, we don’t all read books, we don’t always take a walk along a river or canal or go for long walks in the countryside or even have children or grandchildren to take to a playground or recreational centre. These all exist because they provide a balance to the privately owned and run alternatives.”
“Retaining The Great British Bake Off was always going to be a challenge for the BBC, indeed the same would apply to any other PBS. The commercial sector seldom takes risks with such formats, One can argue that relying on ad revenue they cannot afford to and that is the irony because if we didn’t have a licence funded broadcaster then shows such as Bake Off and Strictly would not exist. Love Productions tried in vain for 4 years to sell the format to the commercial sector with no takers, when the BBC stepped in the first season only attracted 2 million viewers. The irony once again is that had the commercial sector taken up the opportunity, it is very likely that One: it probably wouldn’t have attracted 2 million viewers and Two: If it did, it would likely have not survived. The commercial sector had more than a decade to come up with a format to replace the BBC’s long forgotten Come Dancing, they didn’t, instead, they went for the popular music format which was very successful. The BBC put on their dancing shoes and quickly clawed back the crown of Saturday Night.
The commercial sector weren’t bothered about baking or dancing, it they had, they would have taken up the option of Bake Off 4 years before it saw the light of day on the BBC and for a decade dancing was seen as a pastime for the old folks or at the other extreme rave venues for the young, certainly no place for Prime Time Saturday evenings. You can’t blame Love Productions for taking advantage, the Bake Off success attracted SKY to take a substantial share in the company and there we have another irony, the commercial sector doesn’t have to take the same risks but can take advantage of PBS successes. The licence fee allows the BBC to take on these formats but it doesn’t allow them to make the same bids to buy into these production companies with the same backing as the commercial sector.
The licence fee will always be a conundrum, It will attract support and disdain almost in equal measure but without it there would be a very unbalanced broadcasting landscape. The BBC doesn’t compete for advertising revenue allowing the commercial sector to benefit from a huge revenue stream. The PAY TV sector can bid even higher as long as they are able to retain a high subscription base with a significant advantage over both the BBC and the ad funded commercial sector, they can also use communications revenue to underpin their operations and have some of that advertising cake into the bargain. The licence payer is stuck with what in principle works for many just as tax funds other public services such as arts centres, museums, libraries, public parks, rivers, canals etc. We don’t all visit arts centres or museums, we don’t all read books, we don’t always take a walk along a river or canal or go for long walks in the countryside or even have children or grandchildren to take to a playground or recreational centre. These all exist because they provide a balance to the privately owned and run alternatives.”
Here here mate. Excellent post. Certainly the BBC needs to look at all it's contracts it has with the indie sector.
