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"BBC2 in Simpsons crises - D'OH!"

Here is an article taken from www.frinky.com:


The BBC has quit talks to buy future episodes of The Simpsons.

It said rival channels had pushed the price to "ludicrous" levels.

The BBC already has the rights to screen shows for the next few years.

But it says it felt it was unable to justify spending so much of licence payers' cash on the show to continue the deal.

Episodes are understood to have cost around £100,000 each until now, but a bidding war has pushed these to more than £700,000.

Channel 5 and Channel 4 are still in negotiations to land The Simpsons, which is one of BBC2's big family draws.

However, BBC2 controller Jane Root has walked out of talks because of the excessive cost.

It follows the same channel's withdrawal from discussions to tie up a new deal with Naked Chef Jamie Oliver last week because of unease about his commercial deals with Sainsbury's.

The decision to pull out of Simpsons talks does not mean that the season ends suddenly on BBC2. It will continue to show the programme until the end of 2006 with three new series and repeats.

But the successful bidder will also get the right to the repeats in a matter of months - and it will begin showing new editions of the programme in 2004.

A BBC spokesman said today: "It got to the point where it was a ludicrous price and too much money for us to be able to justify in terms of the licence fee.

MoJoJoJo wrote:


Simpsons quality has been going down for
> years anyway



Thats irrelevant. The quality of the show has nack all to do with Channel 5. That was my point, for those that missed it.

slave2games wrote:
Poor quality Simpsons? nah, never going to
> happen

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Excuse me? Where have you been all these years?

...Also, I watch it on Sky One, so I dont need to watch it on BBC2

No, I didn't say that the quality of "The Simpsons" would go down. If you'd read my post again, you will see that I said it was "channel 5" which had the poor quality.

Poor quality Simpsons? nah, never going to happen

I am the Tarrant wrote:
Am I reading this
> right. Do you actually believe the quality of "The Simpsons" show will
> go down if its broadcast on channel 5?

-----------------

Simpsons quality has been going down for years anyway

slave2games wrote:
> I'd hate to think what will happen if Channel 5 get the rights, I don't watch
> Channel 5 because it is rubbish, also, I still get a bad picture; in my room,
> not the livenroom :(



Am I reading this right. Do you actually believe the quality of "The Simpsons" show will go down if its broadcast on channel 5?

It'll still be the Simpsons, just on channel 5 instead of 2.
If you are really so "anti-Channel 5" then I can tell you exactly what'll happen if The Simpsons ends up on 5. You'll miss some quality TV

BBC2 has the smallest channel budget in existance!

Just look at how jazzed up the Weakest Link is when they show it on BBC1!

Basically the BBC decided that they couldn't justify spending so much of the licence fee on a programme that only 3.5m people watch.

When C5 made a bid, C4 decided that they couldn't let the show go to another commercial terrestrial channel without a fight, so they started a bidding war, meaning the BBC were straight out of the running!

I'd hate to think what will happen if Channel 5 get the rights, I don't watch Channel 5 because it is rubbish, also, I still get a bad picture; in my room, not the livenroom :(

If the Simpson's was a quiz or reality TV show, then they'd keep it. Cheap skates.