When SBS ran its last ever episode of Top Gear on Monday, it couldn’t resist a bit of corporate comment on the show being bought by Channel Nine.
After the credits rolled, it ran a sneakily-edited clip which made their feelings known about being out-bid.
May: “I mean what’s going on?”
Clarkson: “We get a big bag of money!”
May: “Fabulous!”
SBS: SEE YA!
After years of building up the brand in this country, who can blame them?
The gag was totally in keeping with the comedy of the show. Let’s have more stuff like this please, people!
What will 9 do with the 17 mins they cut from the episode? i just watch it from the bbc website anyway.
@Craig ….yes please!
Can’t see the clip, but there is no chance in hell I’m going to install Quick-time crap on my computer!!
And executed with the second-rate quality I expect from a second-rate public/ broadcaster.
If SBS hadn’t spent all that money on (cough)mutlicultural(cough) international product like Entourage and Mad Men and Big Love it might have held Top Gear. This was a smart buy from Ch9, the show is a perfect fit for them, they wanted it and I’m sure they paid enough for it. Sorry, no pity here.
@Lucy – nothing wrong with QT but that clips was just badly encoded or something, ITA YouTube is much better for most web site plus it doesn’t play until you tell it.
@Stan Seven’s episodes of Kath & Kim rated very well, I can’t imagine they were upset.
Luke Smith says:
January 21, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Just a quick tip… please embed youtube or something rather than stinking quicktime.
XOXO
Luke
Yes David not sure what computer you are on but can see anything on a mac
Tarzy keep your mouse over it and try again?
anyone got a link for the vid – it keeps stopping – cheers.
did anyone see the long promo for Top Gear on ch 9 with the hosts
I think it went
“we’re At a new home”
“What do you mean new home”
“ch 9″
“No we actually are going to live in ch9″
yes, i can’t view that video properly, even after saving it to my computer
If I was SBS, I wouldn’t get too upset about this. It’s clear from some fans’ comments that the best seasons of Top Gear are already behind them. So me thinks Nine’s just got the twilight of a popular show – like Seven found out when they pinched Kath & Kim from ABC.
Just a quick tip… please embed youtube or something rather than stinking quicktime.
XOXO
Luke
Son and I have been faithful TG viewers for years on SBS. But we won’t be following the show to Nine. The ads on SBS were bad enough but on Nine it’s going to be unbearable.
With something like 350 Million viewers world wide Top Gear is more than a niche show. BBC airs them around 60 minutes, SBS had edited version around 50 minutes without ads and I suspect Nine will be 40-45 minutes.
Thanks guys. Yeah SBS has some good doccos and probably the best news of any FTA channel, but I’m talking about regular series or shows that I will aim to watch. SBS doesn’t have anything that keeps me returning regularly unlike ABC with its comedy nights etc. SBS was a must watch night on Mondays and sadly this is disappearing.
The show was already beginning to get on the nose, so good riddence… I’d be surprised if Nine get significantly higher figures than SBS – it’s a relatively niche show and audience as it is.
As for SBS – at least they have Mythbusters! [Someone mentioned new SouthPark is no longer on SBS - can anyone confirm?]
Let’s just hope Nine don’t bombard the program with hundreds of ads.
@H1NG0: SBS keeps the rights to new episodes of South Park. It’s only GO! that has repeat rights to the series.
@ H1NGO – I gather you don’t watch docos? SBS air some excellent docos most recently one about the paranormal in the middle ages.
I loved it. It was ballsy, and summed up what a lot of us viewers felt about the move.
Thanks sbs for “stickin’ it to the man” !
that’s great… good on them for having a dig!
I gather this show will only have sponcer’s like Nestle of Allen’s Lollies. How could they possibly have car sponcer’s when TG may well run the car into the ground and call it a dud?
SBS do all the work, and the big boys at Nine steal the show. Typical.
Next will be, how long before Nine drops it or moves it to some ungodly hour because “it’s not rating as expected”?
As for me, I will not be watching Top Gear on Channel Nein.
I thought it was funny. Nine blows. Too bad for SBS, with South Park and Top Gear gone, its hardly worth watching now.
I just can’t help wondering how many weeks it will run before 9 replace it with repeats of 2.5 Men….
Brilliant!! And with viewing figures down by two million in the UK for this season and rumours of rethinks and make-overs or even axing (prematurely methinks) the joke may really be on Nine!!!
LOL I love it, not sure if Nine would feel the same and I hope the ratings aren’t any better on it’s new home, aren’t they expecting a 50% rise?
Did anyone see the sneak peek on Nine for the show? It was mostly clips from the new series but also included some old ones. Any word as to when it will return on 9 David?
I have both clips if anyone wants them posted on youtube…