BBC at war over Neighbours

[carmelina]

BBC at war over Neighbours

By ONLINE REPORTER
April 12, 2007



THE BBC is facing a battle to keep Neighbours with ITV and Channel 5 likely to bid for the Aussie soap.

It is reported that the BBC – which has screened Neighbours for more than 20 years – is also facing a hefty price hike to keep the show.

Distributor Fremantle Media is negotiating a new deal and BBC director of acquisitions George McGhee said that the corporation wanted to keep the show “but only if the price was right.”

He added: “This figure of £13 million a year is a lot of nonsense. That amount of money would be absolutely ridiculous.

“The BBC is committed to Neighbours but only at the right price.”

Neighbours could be perfect for an afternoon slot on ITV1 or as a teen soap on ITV2 and it would make an Aussie soap double for Ch5, which already screens Home And Away.

The soap remains a daytime ratings winner for BBC1 with 3 million watching its lunchtime episode and 2.6 million tuning into the early evening repeat.

At its peak when it starred Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan as Charlene and Scott in 1988, it was watched by 20 million British viewers.


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[Bob]

That should be amusing....

I still watch the odd episode on guba, it's fun to see if there are anyone on it that have become a star...couldn't be bothered with home and away as that was to much effort to keep track of.

hmmm....shame if the beeb lose it, but no great loss if it moves to another channel, as long as there isn't the same mess of a years wait or whatever that happened with H&W...