Five scores Neighbours coup
Jason Deans and Chris Tryhorn
Friday May 18, 2007
MediaGuardian.co.uk
Neighbours: will help Five combat falling ratings. Photograph: Freemantle Media/BBC
Channel Five has snatched the rights to Neighbours from the BBC in a deal believed to be worth £300m over 10 years.
Five made its move for the Australian soap after the BBC pulled out of the bidding earlier today, bringing to an end the corporation's 22-year association with the programme.
Landing the Australian soap is a coup for Five, which has been struggling with falling ratings for the past couple of years.
Five is likely to pair Neighbours in a daytime Australian soap double bill with Home and Away, which it stole away from ITV seven years ago.
It is believed to have beaten off competition for Neighbours from ITV, whose executive chairman, Michael Grade, first brought the soap to British TV when he was controller of BBC1 in 1986.
Neighbours' producer Fremantle Media and Five are both owned by pan-European broadcaster RTL Group.
Five said Neighbours would be shown on its main channel and digital service Five Life from 2008.
"I'm delighted Five has secured such a popular and sought-after series," said the Five managing editor of content, Lisa Opie.
"Neighbours is a fantastic asset for us to add to Five's family of channels, particularly as it is a household brand which delivers strong audiences daily," added the Five chief executive, Jane Lighting.
Earlier today the BBC hit out at Fremantle's "unrealistic price demand".
"We do not believe that we could have justified to BBC viewers a price tag of what would have amounted to some £300m across the term of the contract," the corporation said in a statement. "Paying that sum would also have compromised our ability to invest in new original programmes."
Fremantle said it had a "strong ongoing relationship" with the BBC, but said Five had made a better offer.
"Five has been very keen to buy the show for some time and presented the most compelling offer to Fremantle Media," the production company said in a statement.
"Five will be a great home for Neighbours and Fremantle Media is confident that the show will continue to go from strength to strength."
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2083138,00.html
Jason Deans and Chris Tryhorn
Friday May 18, 2007
MediaGuardian.co.uk
Neighbours: will help Five combat falling ratings. Photograph: Freemantle Media/BBC
Channel Five has snatched the rights to Neighbours from the BBC in a deal believed to be worth £300m over 10 years.
Five made its move for the Australian soap after the BBC pulled out of the bidding earlier today, bringing to an end the corporation's 22-year association with the programme.
Landing the Australian soap is a coup for Five, which has been struggling with falling ratings for the past couple of years.
Five is likely to pair Neighbours in a daytime Australian soap double bill with Home and Away, which it stole away from ITV seven years ago.
It is believed to have beaten off competition for Neighbours from ITV, whose executive chairman, Michael Grade, first brought the soap to British TV when he was controller of BBC1 in 1986.
Neighbours' producer Fremantle Media and Five are both owned by pan-European broadcaster RTL Group.
Five said Neighbours would be shown on its main channel and digital service Five Life from 2008.
"I'm delighted Five has secured such a popular and sought-after series," said the Five managing editor of content, Lisa Opie.
"Neighbours is a fantastic asset for us to add to Five's family of channels, particularly as it is a household brand which delivers strong audiences daily," added the Five chief executive, Jane Lighting.
Earlier today the BBC hit out at Fremantle's "unrealistic price demand".
"We do not believe that we could have justified to BBC viewers a price tag of what would have amounted to some £300m across the term of the contract," the corporation said in a statement. "Paying that sum would also have compromised our ability to invest in new original programmes."
Fremantle said it had a "strong ongoing relationship" with the BBC, but said Five had made a better offer.
"Five has been very keen to buy the show for some time and presented the most compelling offer to Fremantle Media," the production company said in a statement.
"Five will be a great home for Neighbours and Fremantle Media is confident that the show will continue to go from strength to strength."
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2083138,00.html
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