The End of Neighbours on BBC!
I have just seen the controller of BBC1 officially announce the end of Neighbours on the BBC! This is a sad day. Not only am I fan of the Aussie soap, but the mechanism of the loss is a problem that is spreading throughout television and the media in general. Greedy TV executives. Basically, the company that sells Neighbours to the BBC have asked for a 300% increase in the amount that BBC1 pays for each episode, a sum that is grossly out of proportion with the market rates. This has led to the BBC deciding not to renew its contract to show the soap. The current contract ends in April 2008. What annoys me is how often we are hearing this story these days. The recent Virgin Media versus BSkyB battle over Sky One is another example of ridiculous demands by broadcasters for their programmes to be shown on other systems. This is not good for viewers.
I realise we live in a competitive world where the common theme is globalisation and capitalism but we must draw the line. We are losing out to fat cats.
