Word: bbc
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...screen aren't so much on network television these days as they are on cable, where characters like Larry David, Tony Soprano and David Brent exist. Wait, who's Brent? If you have to ask, you haven't seen The Office, the British comedy airing on the cable channel BBC America. An absurdist mockumentary, The Office is a critical and popular smash in Britain. And with its second season premiering in the U.S. this month, it has claimed a cult following and turned Brent, played by British actor Ricky Gervais, into a hit with the media cognoscenti. A couple...
...Office is one of several shows that should help BBC America become profitable within the next 18 months. The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) launched BBCA five years ago to liven up the Beeb's image in the U.S., export more British culture and, since it runs ads, turn a profit. BBCA is the Beeb's low-rent cousin...
...strong with award-winning news, documentaries, dramas and comedies. It has long snubbed crass commerce and does not run ads on its two flagship channels. Its revenue model: every household with a telly must pay the British government a "license fee" of nearly $200 a year to fund the BBC, which adds up to a $4.5 billion annual subsidy. Americans would probably dump their sets in the Boston harbor if Washington forced them to spend that kind of money for PBS. But by and large, Brits love their Beeb; 93% tune in at least once a week. Audience satisfaction, which...
...Auntie, however, is not being treated with deference in its homeland. It's partly political--the company is feuding with the government over a BBC news broadcast that suggested Prime Minister Tony Blair exaggerated Iraq's military threat to justify going to war. It's partly corporate--the BBC, through its commercial side, is turning into a powerful media conglomerate. Some critics say the BBC is dumbing down its entertainment shows to get ratings and sexing up some of its news broadcasts to get buzz. With new digital-TV and radio channels, a highly successful website, a major international expansion...
Part of the hostility may come down to sour grapes. Last year the Beeb's for-profit operations, which are separate legal entities, brought in revenues of $1.9 billion--35% higher than in 2000--and returned $249 million to the BBC's not-for-profit side. That's remarkable, considering that during the same period, many of the world's major media firms struggled with slumping ad revenues, large debt loads and expensive mergers that blew up. But the Beeb more than muddled through, and one of its biggest success stories is right here in America...