• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
methodshop

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Top Stories
  • Latest
  • Fun
  • Life
  • Learn

Home : NBC Channel Hundreds of Millions of Dollars into Buying Up Foreign Channels

NBC Channel Hundreds of Millions of Dollars into Buying Up Foreign Channels

November 26, 2007 by jayfrankwilson
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn

Nbc Channel Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Into Buying Up Foreign Channels - Cnnbc125 1NBC Universal, the Hollywood studio behind the TV drama House, is planning its biggest ever international spectacular, with hundreds of millions of dollars set aside to buy small foreign TV channels and producers.

Owned by GE, the world’s second largest company, NBC Universal has been tasked with nearly doubling its revenues outside the US by 2010, to $5bn (£2.4bn). The man leading the charge is British executive Pete Smith.

Smith has already bought UK-based pay TV business Sparrowhawk, which broadcasts its Hallmark and KidsCo channels worldwide. “I’m interested in smaller companies that haven’t reached their full potential and would benefit from us bringing them on,” says Smith. “I want a budget of $2bn a year, my chief financial officer wants $400m. I hope we get somewhere in the middle. It will be hundreds of millions of dollars.”

NBC is piling into an already crowded arena. Sony has made 35 films outside the US in the last decade. MTV has been on air since 1981, Time Warner has an extensive pay TV business, with brands including Cartoon network and CNN. Disney, meanwhile, is helping to fill the funding gap in children’s TV production in the UK, having set up a global production hub in London in April. The BBC’s commercial arm will launch 20 international channels by March.

Smith is playing a high-stakes game. But then he is something of an adrenaline junkie. A keen biker, he is nursing broken ribs after an accident on the track. That hasn’t put him off, despite Mrs Smith’s concerns. “My wife found me poring over pictures of motorbikes the other day – it felt like I’d been caught with a top-shelf mag.”

NBC’s channels outside the US will number 50 by the end of the year, up from 13 at the start. A further 30 are planned for 2008. Next year will see a rethink on the array of channel brands, with Smith keen to see the Universal Channel, a star performer in Latin America, exported more widely. He is also building, in London, an international TV production business and a film unit. The TV arm is headed by Angela Bromstad, who as president of the US television studios was behind the sci-fi series Heroes, the US version of The Office, the medical drama House and the Law & Order franchise.

She is talking to US creators about establishing production offices in Britain, so that programme ideas can be pitched to big broadcasters such as ITV. The focus will be on comedy, drama and sci-fi.

Law & Order is already being remade in Russian and French, and its creator, Dick Wolf, is looking for other opportunities abroad. On the comedy front, NBC is a major shareholder in Working Title, the British company behind Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Some are sceptical that UK broadcasters will want to commission from a Hollywood studio rather than a local producer, where they can have a greater influence over the product and take a greater share of the revenues.

But NBC is offering 25 per cent of the $1.2bn an episode needed these days to produce top flight drama. And it can use its channels to showcase the product around the world, boosting international sales.

GE owns 80 per cent of NBC Universal, with the balance held by French conglomerate Vivendi. Reports have suggested GE will dispose of its studio business after the Beijing Olympics in 2012, but Smith says he is not preparing for a sale.

Nbc Channel Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Into Buying Up Foreign Channels - 300Px The Earth Seen From Apollo 17 2

[Via Telegraph]

Related Posts:

  • Weather Channel Debuts New Weather Channel App For iPhone (2007)
    Weather Channel Debuts New Weather Channel App For iPhone…
  • Kid Tries to Pay Police With $137 Dollars Individually Folded Into Origami Pigs
    Kid Tries to Pay Police With $137 Dollars Individually…
  • How The Weather Channel Secured Weather.com And Grew Into A Web Giant
    How The Weather Channel Secured Weather.com And Grew Into A…



FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Tag: International, nbc universal
Previous Post: « CBS Pays $300,000 To Settle KUTV License Challenge
Next Post: F-ing Enchanted: The F-Word in a Disney Movie? »

Sidebar

Trending Now

  • Listen To The Dirty Drunken Pat O'Brien Voicemails That Sent Him To RehabListen To The Dirty Drunken Pat O’Brien Voicemails That Sent Him To Rehab
  • Tips On How To Fix An Unresponsive iPodTips On How To Fix An Unresponsive iPod
  • 25 Famous Movie Scenes Recreated Using LEGO Minifigures25 Famous Movie Scenes Recreated Using LEGO Minifigures
  • 5 Tools to Make #Twitter More Productive5 Tools to Make #Twitter More Productive
  • 7 Incredible Camel Spider Facts (That Will Probably Creep You Out)7 Incredible Camel Spider Facts (That Will Probably Creep You Out)
  • More Cowbell - Remembering The Famous SNL SkitMore Cowbell – Remembering The Famous SNL Skit
  • Can the Toxic Avenger Cure SXSW Panel Boredom?Can the Toxic Avenger Cure SXSW Panel Boredom?
  • 7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google's Cameras7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras
  • Top 25 Better Off Dead Movie Quotes - How Many Better Off Dead Quotes Do You Remember?Top 25 Better Off Dead Movie Quotes – How Many Better Off Dead Quotes Do You…
  • How To Survive A Goose Attack... With Your DignityHow To Survive A Goose Attack… With Your Dignity

Categories

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Latest

Alexa Music

15 Essential Music Commands For Amazon Alexa

Helpful Tips For Anyone Selling A Luxury Home

8 Essential Tips For Anyone Selling A Luxury Home

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2022 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT