Ramp up the versions

It was recently announced that the Office is being re-made for Chile - this is the latest in a long line of local remakes of the Ricky Gervais creation in fact it’s the latest in a long line of re-formats giving the BBC money.

Now, BBC TWO’s highest rated show and probably THE most watched show across all of the BBC has been tagged for remake. Or in other words has had the format tag applied.

Already a major product for the BBC in terms of actually selling the original show - Top Gear will now be remade by NBC in the USA and someone else in Australia - with the title Gear in the US and Top Gear Australia in Oz.

This comes at the same time as BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC is showing record profits and seems to be on the constant increase - it’s already a billion$ business and is growing all the time.

Now this is ALL good for the BBC and for license fee payers as all money made by Worldwide goes back to Auntie eventually - but is, in my opinion also a sign of what’s to come.

Over the next decade or so the march, already started, in the BBC to become more commercial will increase.

When the first five years of this license fee settlement are up I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of the more commercial BBC offerings are handed over to Worldwide and made commercial networks - say BBC Radio 1 and BBC THREE.

This would be a first step on a road that, in the end would lead to a very small Public Service BBC and a very large Commercial BBC - at the moment its the other way round.

My guess is that by the end of it the Public Service BBC will include Local Radio, Regional Television, Journalism and Factual. But who know - I might be completely wrong and the tide could turn in a few years to see the BBC seen as an essential part of British Culture and that the license fee is the only way to pay for it ALL.

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