SBS loses Top Gear to Nine
SBS has lost one of its biggest audience-generating shows with the move of Top Gear to Nine.
Both the British version of the motoring entertainment show – starring Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond – and the rights to the Australian edition will shift to Nine from early next year.
Top Gear Australia Magazine already sits within the PBL empire as a joint venture between ACP and BBC Worldwide.
Julie Dowding, BBC Worldwide Australia’s sales director said: “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.”
David Gyngell , CEO of the Nine Network, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working together with one of the world’s great broadcasting powerhouses on a program of this quality and wide appeal.”
Although Nine has not said anything about the existing SBS cast of Top Gear Australia, it seems likely that the network would look first to its own stable of talent. The Footy Show’s Sam Newman, Getaway’s Jules Lund and swimmer Grant Hackett – one year into a four year deal with Nine – are all known for their love of cars.
Although SBS’s local version of Top Gear failed to outrate the original, it was the network’s highest rating locally produced show.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Dang it! But I was so enjoying this being popular and on SBS at the same time. That is disappointing.
Given my house is a TV ratings house I suppose I better go and watch it at someone else’s house when it gets on 9. 😛
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Now lets just hope Nine leave it on in the one time slot for long enough to have people watch it constantly.
Otherwise I guess another episode of 2 and a half men could always go on in its place.
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I knew about this ages ago but it was off the record information
I have very low expectations of Ch9 producing a good quality Top Gear Australia, it’ll probably be packed with 9 Network cross promotions
More importantly i can’t see how Ch9 can broadcast UK Top Gear (almost 1hour of content) in roughly 45min+ads.
They will have to cut at least 1 segment out of every episode 🙁
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I give it three weeks before they start messing around with the timeslot, and it ends up at 11:00pm on Sunday (unless there’s golf on).
And every third week will be a repeat, for no apparent reason.
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@John #4 Unless people are enjoying the show… then they’ll just cut it half way through the season and promise to ‘bring it back soon’
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Nine will ruin it! and as for the Australian version if they replace the presenters to their own pool of talent its not worth watching.
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It was already ruined when Australians took it over. Channel 9 is just polishing a turd.
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I’m disappointed for SBS because they had a nice Monday night thing going there. Pretty much the only night of the week I’d watch TV, in fact. Given that it’ll now be surrounded by Nine’s usual crud and too many ads, I can see myself watching Top Gear less when it makes the switch.
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I Hope the local BBC Worldwide people read these comments. I predict a lot of loyal TG watchers will fall by the wayside with the move to a commercial network.
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That’s Top Gear, ‘already one of the most downloaded shows on TV’, is it? Righto.
As for the Aussie one, they can’t exactly make it any worse.
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Luckily enough I already have a copy of the opening episode’s script.
Looks like the transition will be smooth – I don’t think anyone will notice the difference…
TOP GEAR AUSTRALIA
SEASON 3, EPISODE 1
V/T with spinning “Toyota” logo top right
RICHARD WILKINS – V/O
“Tonight on Top Gear Australia… Jules Lund takes the revolutionary new Toyota RAV4, with it’s stylish good looks and superb handling, to Frasier Island beach Resort with Getaway’s Catriona Rowntree… Dermott Brereton tests Toyota’s fantastic new Camry… I practice reverse parking in the Channel Nine carpark… and our star in a reasonably priced Toyota is Fatty Vautin… That’s tonight on TOP GEAR AUSTRALIA – brought to you by Toyota.
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Excellent work Adam.
Can’t wait to see The Stig on Millionaire either.
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Look at it this way, we’ll get TG repeats 5 nights a week. And considering how short The Hamster is so short, it’s just like 2 and Half Men.
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Yeah, Nine will just screw Top Gear up and treat it like a worthless program.
I personally would like to see Two and a half men get taken off the network, it’s lame and friggin retarded.
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Channel Nine ey? I’m not a real Top Gear fan but please don’t get Sam Newman on the show.
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Sam Newman, Jules Lund and Grant Hackett might have a love of cars but Top Gear viewers don’t love THEM..!
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Neerav:
1. BBC already produces ‘international’ editions of Top Gear for commercial networks, which have been edited (by removing certain segments) to fit a roughly 45 minute slot. Nine will simply grab one of these off the shelf (better than trusting their own heavy-handed editors!).
2. “I knew about this ages ago but it was off the record information.” Your ego needs a good public stroking every now and again, does it, even if you’ve got to do it yourself?
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Shame on you SBS for losing this great program now i have to sit through ages of ads and cheap shitty cross promotions. Even if they bring the crap TGA show they wont critise the cars as much because of nines sponsers.
I’ll be watching the FULL episodes on the net now without ADS and NINE PROMOTIONS
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Oh yeah and whats with the f@#Ked up news that shane warne will co- host TGA like we really need another TGA let alone a shameful adultrous prick who probaly knows stuff all about cars. NOTE TO PRODUCERS- TGUK WORKS BECAUSE OF THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE HOSTS AND THE FACT THAT TWO OF THEM ACTUALLY REVIEW CARS FOR A LIVING SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY LIKE CARS OR HAVE OWNED CARS
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That is so disappointing!!
Nine will ruin the flow of the show with its usual crap and inefficient amount of ad breaks. I can’t wait for my favourite show starting 10 minutes late with a constant interruption of “whats new” and tampon advertising. Top Gear, shame on you.
SBS you should be commended for your efforts
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There’s always Foxtel IQ to record the original series of Top Gear on BBC Knowledge CH 619 and forget CH 9 altogether – vote with your red button my friends!
There’s not much content the Aussie TG could produce that’s not hotting up your Escort in the Shire, burn-outs in Blacktown or my V8 is bigger then your V8 – is it that difficult to produce and create decent, original content? Surely it can’t be that hard…? All answers on the back of a postcard and send in to ‘Make my TV Show Channel 9’
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Looks like everyone else has the same opinion of what Australian commercial networks do to great shows, cock them up, put in ads everywhere, move the timeslot all over the place and probably will use it as a two and a half men tool and play it 20 times a week until we get sick of it. Good ol’ Channel Nine, just cant leave things alone. With any luck SBS should pick up 5th Gear off Lifestyle, just as good as Top Gear and would fit in Monday nights perfectly!
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Not to mention the fact that if you want your IQ to record anything on Nine you have to record the next show and series link does not work.
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I take it Glenn Ridge still isn’t in contract? He was known for his love of cars, and his talents outside of Sale of the Century were brilliant. And as a Top Gear fan, I reckon he’d be fantastic. >.<
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Anyone want to buy my TV?
(Gone is the only show i watched )
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