This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Media
ITV loses out on Boyle incomes because of a lack of YouTube deal
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 27 April 2009
Perhaps the new boss of ITV can sort out the broadcaster’s online presence outside of ITV.com. There’s been much talk about how the broadcaster won’t earn a penny from the whole Susan Boyle phenomena, despite her performance on their ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ show being the big YouTube story of the year, and the video of her audition have racked up some 100 million plays on the video site.
It seems ITV, like many other content owners, doesn’t currently have an active deal with the Google owned video site because neither side has managed to agree terms on royalty rates, with the telly company pushing for more than Google is willing to offer.
In some ways it was good of ITV not to insist Google pull the Susan Boyle clip from YouTube, which was also available via their own website, though doing so would have no doubt scored some negative coverage for the TV firm, and the video’s YouTube enabled exposure has presumably boosted the profile and therefore sponsorship/advertising value of the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ franchise.
Still, ITV could really do with getting a YouTube deal in place. Whether the Susan Boyle phenomenon will give them any more power at the royalty negotiating table remains to be seen.
Elsewhere in Boyle news, Simon Cowell has hit out at the recent media coverage of the wannabe singing star’s looks, personal life and recent new hair do and eye-brow pluck, saying they should concentrate on her singing. Though, of course, it’s only because of Boyle’s original appearance that her singing became big news, and with the contender not due back on the ITV show until next month, the media are going to have to look for other angles if they want to keep the Boyle story going in the meantime.
Anyway, here’s what Cowell told The People: “The problem is with all the substories about the cat and how she looks. I’m tired of hearing about the way she looks or the kissing, or this or that. Susan mustn’t become a gimmick”.
Given that Cowell’s in the business of monetising gimmicks, presumably his real concern is that public interest in Boyle will burn out before he has chance to get out a debut album of Susan’s show tunes.
