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C4/E4 fall out with Friends

Repeats to end next year (February 2010)

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BR
Brekkie
http://www.channel4.com/about4/?fdff

Quote:
Channel 4 bids farewell to Friends

Channel 4 has today announced that it has decided to relinquish its UK broadcast rights to long running TV series Friends. The channel has agreed a deal with Warner Bros International Television Distribution to end its association with Friends in autumn 2011.

Ending its tie to the fifteen year old series will provide an opportunity to refresh the schedule across Channel 4 and E4 and, alongside the decision not to re-commission Big Brother past summer 2010, frees funds to develop new UK content and acquire the latest shows coming out of the US.

Gill Hay, Head of Acquisitions says: “After 15 years, 10 hit series and 236 terrific episodes it’s time to say goodbye to old Friends and welcome new ones, in the form of more comedy, drama and entertainment from the US and UK. We are incredibly proud to have been the home of Friends for so long, but at a point when the Channel is undergoing a period of creative renewal it felt like the right time to part company.”

Channel 4, E4 and More4 will continue to be the home of the best free-to-air US drama and comedy, including the critically-acclaimed vampire drama True Blood and Golden Globe winning hit musical comedy Glee, and brand new series The Cleveland Show and The Good Wife. Ongoing popular US series include The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters and 90210.


Creatively long overdue, but they still rate well for E4 so a bit of a risk - though the right one IMO. Wonder though whether E4 will milk it as long as they have the rights, or begin to phase it out by perhaps cutting to one peisode a day and dropping the weekend airings. Will hopefully freshen up T4 too which seems to have been overly reliant on Friends repeats for the last few years too.

Comedy Central will pick up the rights.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
Brekkie posted:

Comedy Central will pick up the rights.


Is that fact or opinion?
DE
DE4DJ
Its Fact

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/channel-4/c4-to-drop-friends/5010595.article
IT
itsrobert Founding member
DE4DJ posted:


Ah, thanks for that. Not a surprising move really as it's well suited to Comedy Central's line-up.

I do wish some channels would pick up some older US sitcoms rather than exclusively importing new stuff. CC is almost a loop of King of Queens, Two and a Half Men and Frasier - all of them are fantastic shows, but it would be nice for some older programmes to be seen again. For instance, Cheers, The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls would be nice.
GS
Gavin Scott Founding member
itsrobert posted:
For instance, Cheers, The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls would be nice.


I agree. I've actually started watching those on YouTube. You forget how good they were.
TV
TV Geek
Viacom would really be missing a trick if they didn't screen Friends on Viva at 5pm or 8pm.

Although I am a Friends fan, I think it is the right decision but perhaps it should have been cancelled at the end of 2010. With Big Brother going as well, C4 will have a completely different feel next year so it may have made sense for both shows to go together.

It has still served Channel 4 very well and has to be one of their best investments ever. Almost 6 years on from the final airing (where Friends got almost 9m viewers!), it is still one of the top rated shows on E4.
IS
Inspector Sands
itsrobert posted:
Ah, thanks for that. Not a surprising move really as it's well suited to Comedy Central's line-up.
CC is almost a loop of King of Queens, Two and a Half Men and Frasier

It's really well suited to CC as King of Queens and Two and a half Men aren't funny either Razz
TE
tesandco Founding member
I presume it made sense for them to hold onto the rights for a while, just incase any new 'comeback' specials were ever made, but it has been fairly well milked now. Still without Friends, we'll lose some of the best continuity announcements on E4. They know they've been showing them so long over and over that they often make references to the fact. Razz
NW
nwtv2003
itsrobert posted:
For instance, Cheers, The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls would be nice.


FX had the right to Cheers, although they never got past Series 3, which is a shame because it was consistently funny right through to the end. It also narks me off that Seinfeld is either never on, or when it is on it's 4.00am or something ridiculous, it would work well on More4 I think, but I have them all on DVD anyway, that's worth every penny.

It's a shame they're losing it, creatively as said it is the right move for C4/E4, but it's still a ratings banker, especially for E4.

You wouldn't have thought a couple of years ago a time when C4 would be without Friends and Big Brother, but fair play to C4 for giving new ideas a go.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
nwtv2003 posted:
itsrobert posted:
For instance, Cheers, The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls would be nice.


FX had the right to Cheers, although they never got past Series 3, which is a shame because it was consistently funny right through to the end. It also narks me off that Seinfeld is either never on, or when it is on it's 4.00am or something ridiculous, it would work well on More4 I think, but I have them all on DVD anyway, that's worth every penny.


Yes, Cheers was one of the most consistently funny shows ever made. I can't pinpoint a bad episode or season.

I also completely agree with you about Seinfeld. One of the most underrated US shows in history. I think Virgin1 is (or at least was) currently showing it but at something stupid like 08:00am. Seinfeld easily stands up against shows like Friends, Frasier and King of Queens, which get practically round-the-clock airings. It should definitely be shown more frequently and in prime time.
ST
stevek2
guess they want to freshed up for their 30th birthday in two years time

how about a new breakfast show which people actually want to watch which lasts more than 17 months Confused
DV
DVB Cornwall
Friends being in 4:3 and no HD probably were contributory factors. With HD becoming commonplace all the old 4:3 and increasingly non HD stuff will be retired much earlier than usual.

Everyone buying a new TV from 2012 will see, all but the lowest base points, Freeview HD built in and it'll be available Nationally too.

Ch4 won't be wanting much upscaled content come then at anytime.

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