Top Gear Australia to Channel 9

[Sarnya]

Yep. The reunion show was because some chick wanted it.... and it managed to get 200,000 members.

[Wildy]

Originally Posted by "TV Tonight

“We are thrilled to create a unified home for the Top Gear brand in Australia” said Julie Dowding, BBC Worldwide Australia’s Sales Director. “This country is Top Gear’s biggest territory outside the UK. We greatly look forward to developing its potential with a long-standing partner like Nine.”

You mean like the unified home that they had on SBS?


All I can see is a show which will be ruined by executive meddling. They'll probably sponsor whatever can be sponsored (so SIABSC will be something like "McDonald's SIABSC" or some sort of advertising on the lap board.

Then again for all we know SIABSC (which will probably be renamed) will just be lap times of Eddie McGuire (who I'd guess would also be hosting the show since I think he's contractually obligated to appear on anything on that channel).

I suspect that we'll see less show (so about 45 mins maybe) because the commercial stations show far more commercials then SBS did. Media Watch have been talking about that for the past few weeks.

I do know that SBS cut out certain parts of the TGUK to allow for their ads (the American road-trip in series 9 for example) but I would say that they would cut even more, or it will take 2 hours to watch an episode because of all the ads.

(Yes, you can see I don't like Channel 9.)

Or we'll see TGA and maybe TGUK on at some godforsaken hour.

[brydiem]

^ I would actually watch it if it was over 2 hours unedited, but you know that's not going to happen. Pretty sad that the general public will probably never see the news or the cool wall or anything again like that.

And yeah, feeling sorry for SBS here, semms a bit like they've gotten screwed over. Doubt this will help their "we need more funding for our channels" cause between losing this and South Park.

I've already gotten 3 requests from friends for my aforementioned DVD making cause- seems out of all my madly nerdy programming friends, I am the only one who can use Windows DVD Maker

[Red_Bull]

My friend is meeting Shane Warne this weekend at a poker tournament, so I'll ask him to punch him for us

[logifuse]

Imagine the controversy if they have Warnie as host AND he blacks up! Hope Harry Connick Jnr is the SIABSC that episode....

Poor taste jokes aside, thank god for the internet - the UK version will be butchered & the Australian version will only last 1 series on 9 (though it will probably drift later & later each week).

Mind you, the UK version will be run to death on Go! It might challenge 2 & 1/2 Men for the number of screenings on Aus TV per week.

[Sarnya]

Steves tweet

[Hidden_Hunter]

Top Gear Australia on channel 9

10 minutes of car ads
32 minutes of vehicle for washed up australian celebreties

[frosty57]

Well it all makes sense now!!

Just saw the 1st of the new adds on Channel 7 for their new digital channel 7 - 2 and guess what they are advertising Final Gear as a wonderful new program on their network.

Add this with 9 signing today with BBCworldwide for top gear and it is all explained.

Remember PBL (Packer) does the Top Gear Distribution of merchandise so they had a foot in the door too start with.

Just call me cynical or throw money I don't care which.

War 9 vs 7 again.

Frosty

[frosty57]

Hidden Hunter thats the Victoria state flag by the way.

[sss555nismo]

I gotta say its a sad day for SBS and Topgear. I followed SBS from the beginning when they aried the early TG seasons. I gotta say that while TG has certainly changed over the last few seasons into a massive, since about S8, I certainly goota say I miss it when it was just a 'pokey motoring show' about 3 guys having fun with cars. Don't get me wrong I still immensily enjoy the new TG seasons but I still miss the old format when the show was still unknown here in Aus n I was one of the few amongst my mates to watch it.

RIP TopGear on SBS, thanks for the memories.

N to 9, you can be damn sure I won't be watching TG with more ads, cause to be honest I was kinda pissed when SBS introduced ads n took away the good segments like News, Cool War etc.

On another note though if 9 taking over TG means the end of TGA then GREAT. It was a load of crap anyway.

N since frosty57 mentioned it I'm sad FifthGear got axed.

[Mr Snow]

Worst news ever!

thankyou ch9 for ruining the promising evolution TGA

[Suspense]

So I saw on the news tonight that the BCC head office in London was swarmed by hundreds of angry protestors today. I guess this was the reason?

The only explanation for this is that Nine threw a HUGE amount of money at the BBC. Surely the BBC and the TGAu production team (Freehand?) would have done the most basic due diligence and realised that moving the show to channel 9 will kill it. There is no way that TGAu will be given the fair go that SBS were giving it. We won't ever see it on a decent timeslot, let alone the juicy 7:30pm Monday slot SBS had gifted it. It won't have the same creative freedom, and we can be assured that after the ratings bomb (due to both poor creative restrictions and terrible timeslots) the show will be axed.

It's almost as bad for the showing of the TGUK eps as well. I'd be extremely surprised if we get to see it on a prime time slot, unless it's relegated to Go! and languish in crap ratings there.

Fuck channel 9.

[Snap]

"This, is not going to end well". -Richard Hammond.

[Reckoning]

Originally Posted by Suspense

So I saw on the news tonight that the BCC head office in London was swarmed by hundreds of angry protestors today. I guess this was the reason?

The only explanation for this is that Nine threw a HUGE amount of money at the BBC. Surely the BBC and the TGAu production team (Freehand?) would have done the most basic due diligence and realised that moving the show to channel 9 will kill it. There is no way that TGAu will be given the fair go that SBS were giving it. We won't ever see it on a decent timeslot, let alone the juicy 7:30pm Monday slot SBS had gifted it. It won't have the same creative freedom, and we can be assured that after the ratings bomb (due to both poor creative restrictions and terrible timeslots) the show will be axed.

It's almost as bad for the showing of the TGUK eps as well. I'd be extremely surprised if we get to see it on a prime time slot, unless it's relegated to Go! and languish in crap ratings there.

Fuck channel 9.

I know that my family and I, my girlfriend's family and everyone (who watches Top Gear) at tafe are appalled at the thought and refuse to watch it on Nein.

So, say that's about 20 people. I doubt we're the only people in Australia who think the same.

[Dave2003]

Originally Posted by brydiem

I've become this desperate:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=159071728167

Facebook protest group. Might as well make one before some Hammond fangirl does.

I hope you dont mind but I have posted a link to your group in the TV lounge on Whirlpool, only long term or highly active members will be able to see the link, the site does have 300,000 australian members though. So you should get a few from it.

[stiggie]

Originally Posted by Wildy

I do know that SBS cut out certain parts of the TGUK to allow for their ads (the American road-trip in series 9 for example) but I would say that they would cut even more, or it will take 2 hours to watch an episode because of all the ads.

Then you clearly don't know anything at all.

God I'm sick of explaining this over and over again. SBS cut nothing. The BBC shows the original version (which can only be shown on the BBC due to UK law) and provide an edited "international" version for overseas networks. SBS never edited TopGear and I'll be very surprised if the deal with Nine will let them edit it either. They'll probably just finish overtime every week. Nine certainly doesn't mind ending its show late. In fact I suspect that they prefer to, it stops you from switching channels at the end of the show.

As for time-slots, Nine has been struggling to find a competitive tuesday line-up. My gues is that it will end up either then, or stay on mondays.

[flydiscovery]

BBCWorldwide even already has edits of TGUK that will fit commercial television. US broadcasts are usually 44 minutes of content. I can tell you taking 16 minutes out makes the show nearly unwatchable. Only once was the show run at over the 1 hr timeslot and that was Vietnam.

Question though, why'd we make a whole new thread when we'd been taking about this for pages in the other one?

[brydiem]

Originally Posted by Dave2003

I hope you dont mind but I have posted a link to your group in the TV lounge on Whirlpool, only long term or highly active members will be able to see the link, the site does have 300,000 australian members though. So you should get a few from it.

Sweet, that's awesome!!!!! I really don't mind who joins (as long as they agree with the cause and all!) and yeah, the more the merrier! Thankyou!!!

[tone76]

It might be slightly off-topic, but someone on another forum made the suggestion that SBS should give the guys from Mighty Car Mods a show. This would be a bloody excellent idea: the MCM guys are funny and easy to warm to, they're passionate, they know their stuff and there wouldn't be a huge weight of expectation attached to them. Introduce them to Steve Pizzati and I reckon that the 3 of them would come up with an absolute belter of a car show.

Whilst it probably wouldn't rate like TGA, it would also cost a hell of a lot less to produce ... and - assuming that Channel Nein will replace the hosts and riddle it with product placement - would easily shit on the new TGA.

[Dsemaj]

Originally Posted by stiggie

Then you clearly don't know anything at all.

God I'm sick of explaining this over and over again. SBS cut nothing. The BBC shows the original version (which can only be shown on the BBC due to UK law) and provide an edited "international" version for overseas networks. SBS never edited TopGear and I'll be very surprised if the deal with Nine will let them edit it either. They'll probably just finish overtime every week. Nine certainly doesn't mind ending its show late. In fact I suspect that they prefer to, it stops you from switching channels at the end of the show.

Thanks for beating me to that. Rather infuriating when SBS gets the rap for it, it's the BBC that does that.

On topic though, TGA, it was great while it lasted. This is just another example of the mismanagement of this show. They get the right presenters, right look, the show finally starts to find it's own feet... and the move it to fucking Nine, Nine of all channels. Nine will find a way to ruin this - they will never allow this show to become more critical, have a long leash. If anything, they will sensationalise it and turn it into a pile of childish rubbish.

I CANT WAIT FOR THE STIG HOT LAP PRESENTED BY CASTROL OILS AND THE STAR IN THE BRAND NEW FANTASTIC HOLDEN CRUZE.

Steve, Warren and James should just leave now to spite the monster that is modern Australian commercial television.