[AJ.]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010...nnel-5-endemol

Spoiler:

Discussions between Richard Desmond and Endemol UK over acquiring the rights to Big Brother are understood to have stalled, with the Channel 5 owner thought to be looking at alternatives including a new reality format from the hit show's co-creator John De Mol, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal.

MediaGuardian.co.uk reported a month ago that Desmond was in talks with Endemol about taking Big Brother to Channel 5.

However, it is understood that the negotiations have ground to a halt just as a deal was close to being signed.

"The deal was quite far down the track, it was virtually agreed and then the negotiations went cold," said one source with knowledge of the situation.

Another source said Channel 5 had also held discussions with De Mol, the co-creator of Big Brother, about buying a new format called The Golden Cage.

The format, which is an observational entertainment series, is thought to have the potential to run all year round. The Golden Cage was the original concept and working title for what became Big Brother, which De Mol co-created at Endemol in the late 1990s.

The name has now been revived for a different reality format made by De Mol's new production company, Talpa Media. The new format puts 10 contestants in a luxury villa living the life of millionaires for an indefinite period, with no nominations or voting.

Contestants either walk out or are evicted for behaviour deemed unacceptable by the producers and the last one remaining gets a large cash prize. The format ran for more than 18 months on Dutch TV.

Talpa describes The Golden Cage as "the first reality soap... the world's first open-ended unscripted reality series".

The source did not believe that Channel 5 would commission both shows and thought that a Big Brother deal may not be revived. "Channel 4 comprehensively ended Big Brother, the timing of the deal should have been done on the day it was finally done on Channel 4 for publicity purposes," said the source. "But as far as I understand it negotiations failed."

Desmond is said to be planning to announce as many as five major new programming commissions in the next month or so, to significantly bolster Channel 5's programming lineup going into next year.

Speculation that Desmond would quickly snap up Big Brother, which finished its decade-long run on Channel 4 earlier this month, to boost Channel 5's sagging ratings has been rife since the owner of Express Newspapers completed a £103m takeover of the broadcaster in July.

Desmond has committed about £1.5bn over the next five years to "go toe-to-toe with the biggest players in the TV world" with Big Brother seen as a timely fit that still pulled in audiences seen as a respectable size for Channel 5's scale.

Endemol is understood to have extended its contract with Elstree, the studio where Big Brother is filmed.

De Mol, who originally co-founded Endemol in the 1990s, was linked with a bid for Channel 5 through his investment company Cyrte Investments and Greek broadcaster Antenna. The theory was that De Mol would provide content for Channel 5 if the bid was successful. He may yet still do so.

Endemol and a spokeswoman for Richard Desmond and Channel 5 declined to comment.

Supposedly now looking at different reality show formats instead, including "The Golden Cage".

[arista]

"Endemol and a spokeswoman for Richard Desmond and Channel 5 declined to comment."


we need official comments next.

[ElProximo]

Interesting and I had seen some of the 'Golden Cage' or whatever it was called but it just didn't grab me like the Big Brother (as we know it) concept.

Which is not to say it may not work well if done by Ch.5?

I'm actually more surprised to hear (if this is true) that they were actually that close to finishing a deal and even planning to have it announced on the C4 Final?
Wow.
No, I figured at best we were just hearing general talks about nothing more than buying the 'rights' though no production being planned.

Well the plot thickens. Or is over. Either way I have no expectations to see a new BB series anytime soon.

[BBfanUSA]

In the only Golden Cage Season Netherlands had a lot of crazy things went down and i have heard that it is like bb except there are no nominations. This Idea worked and been thinking of having it in america on ABC and ABC will most likely try to get it on at the same time as BBUSA on CBS. maybe because there isn't a BB int format in US they could just call it The Golden Cage and play it by International BB Rules tho.

[Beastie]

The talks will be stalling until 2015!

[Patrick]

^

k keep telling yourself that hun.

[Brekkie]

God, that's old news. We knew they'd stalled midway through Ultimate BB.

[iRyan]

I really hope they pick BB over Golden Cage. I think a new BB has a higher chance of working.

[Brekkie]

I doubt it would work at all - so let them have the Golden Cage. At least if that flops, BB's legacy is protected.


C5 could do no worse than going for Paradise Hotel. They showed the original US version years ago and it's as trashy as they come - but was ridiculously addictive. Basically a dating show where 11 people stay in a hotel.

It begins with say 6 men, 5 women - and at the end of the week the women pick a man each, with the odd on out going home and being replaced by a woman, with the process repeated. Towards the end the format gets a bit messy as they dwindle the numbers down, but it's a decent enough reality show and could be C5's answer to Big Brother - without just being a pale imitation of it.

[Tom]

Good, call it a day

They should bring the BBUSA format over (not under the BB branding obviously) instead of this Golden Cage rubbish, dont like the idea of it going on for over a year, BB struggled to keep my interest for 3 months

[Jords]

TGC sounds crap..

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Jords

TGC sounds crap..

i agree.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by Patrick

^

k keep telling yourself that hun.

Patrick! You little Scrooooooooge!