Yes! Home and Away is similarly effectively funded by Channel 5. Certainly at one point Ofcom actually regarded it as a "UK production" when it came to a certain quota on C5.
Neighbours as well really, isn't it? Even back in the BBC Days I think it was only really being in the UK that kept it on air. In Australia for several years it's been relegated to Eleven, which is pretty much the equivlent of Coronation Street being moved to ITV2.
Can I just remind you all that post 1992 the commercial PSB companies held licences to broadcast, they were not franchisees. They never applied for any sort of franchise, they did apply for a licence to broadcast. It's an important difference.
They were referred to as franchises by some since day one though.
To be fair Baywatch was a big part of ITV early evening line up on a Saturday for years during the 90s. me airing.
Yep - but Baywatch was effectively bankrolled by ITV eventually - so it was close to being a UK show made in the US...
Yet it was also shown around the world?
Yep - but acquisitions cost far less than original productions or co-productions usually. Baywatch's original production costs were effectively underwritten by ITV (LWT I think?) rather than them buying it after it had been made.
Is that how ITV managed to keep hold of the series?
I still think ITV are missing a trick not getting a few US drama series. It would have help cut out alot of fluff at 9pm.
RS
Rob_Schneider
The problem today is that either behind-paywall channels swoop in and pinch them, or they're being streamed. I'm with you though that a big US drama in the vein of Lost or Game of Thrones would be a sure fire bet for ITV.
Wasn't Game of Thrones originally destined to be a BBC co-production. No doubt about it that it wouldn't have lasted as long if it was, and it probably wouldn't have had the luxury of 10 episodes per series too.
Wasn't Game of Thrones originally destined to be a BBC co-production. No doubt about it that it wouldn't have lasted as long if it was, and it probably wouldn't have had the
luxury
of 10 episodes per series too.
ROME which was a HBO/ BBC co prod was 12 episodes for its first season and for 10 for its second. And had a budget similar to GOT. It would have ran longer if the ratings hadn't dived on both sides of the Atlantic
Last edited by Cando on 19 December 2015 3:54pm - 2 times in total
I still think ITV are missing a trick not getting a few US drama series. It would have help cut out alot of fluff at 9pm.
At what cost? C5 pay around 500k an episode for NCIS and Gotham. A cheap factual filler doc on ITV would easily outrage that and make a healthy profit.
ITV pay just 750k an hour for most of their original dramas which rate far better.
If imports made such financial sense ITV would be doing it.
The problem today is that either behind-paywall channels swoop in and pinch them, or they're being streamed. I'm with you though that a big US drama in the vein of Lost or Game of Thrones would be a sure fire bet for ITV.
Given how Lost dropped 80% of its viewers on C4, I don't know how you can say that. Also the majority of the people who watch GOT in the UK watch it on PVR without watching any adverts. A bit of a problem for ITV that!
I still think ITV are missing a trick not getting a few US drama series. It would have help cut out alot of fluff at 9pm.
At what cost? C5 pay around 500k an episode for NCIS and Gotham. A cheap factual filler doc on ITV would easily outrage that and make a healthy profit.
ITV pay just 750k an hour for most of their original dramas which rate far better.
If imports made such financial sense ITV would be doing it.
If there could get something a bit cheaper etc there might do it but I will say this ITV does seem not to like using US series for peak times. Even Micheal grade made this clear on the Select committee.
Can I just remind you all that post 1992 the commercial PSB companies held licences to broadcast, they were not franchisees. They never applied for any sort of franchise, they did apply for a licence to broadcast. It's an important difference.
They were referred to as franchises by some since day one though.
Well from 'day one' the itv companies did hold franchises. From 1/1/1993 they held licences to broadcast if they were successful in their applications for one.
To be fair Baywatch was a big part of ITV early evening line up on a Saturday for years during the 90s. me airing.
Yep - but Baywatch was effectively bankrolled by ITV eventually - so it was close to being a UK show made in the US...
As you alluded to earlier, the show was a ratings success in the uk and the then head of presentation at lwt successfully lobbied the lwt management board to fund more shows.
To be fair Baywatch was a big part of ITV early evening line up on a Saturday for years during the 90s. me airing.
Yep - but Baywatch was effectively bankrolled by ITV eventually - so it was close to being a UK show made in the US...
As you alluded to earlier, the show was a ratings success in the uk and the then head of presentation at lwt successfully lobbied the lwt management board to fund more shows.
So one of the most watch shows in the world was partly bankrolled by LWT? yet there very little details about that anyway.