U2 on Top Of The Pops Retrospective?

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BBCWW Music taps The Smiths, U2

BBC Worldwide Music (BBCWWM) has developed a Top of the Pops retrospective series for a Japanese client, and C21 understands that U2 and The Smiths will be among the acts to feature in upcoming projects from the unit.

The Top of the Pops series (12x60') was commissioned by Japanese channel group Imagica, BBCWWM commercial affairs head Salim Mukaddam told C21. The series falls under the BBC Retrospective banner, which currently comprises five shows, and will enter BBCWWM's international sales catalogue

Mukaddam said that bespoke programming would be an important ingredient in BBCWWM's mission to double its 60-hour content portfolio by March 2010. "One of our great strengths is our ability to create bespoke content because of our access to the BBC archive," he told C21. "Along with genre-based shows like the Top of the Pops one, we also have a new proactive strategy involving sourcing acts for artist-based series."

He added that one way in which the acts would be sourced would be by trawling the schedules of BBC Radio shows, while content for new shows would hopefully come via rights deals for any live music recorded by the BBC. "Anything that gets created by the BBC, we want to go in and get the rights," he said.

C21 understands that bands such as The Smiths and U2 - who recently appeared on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and performed a surprise gig atop BBC Broadcasting House to promote their new album - are among the acts that will be covered in upcoming series, although Mukaddam refused to confirm this.

The other way in which the unit plans to grow its catalogue is by acquiring more and further series of BBC-produced shows. In something of a coup, BBCWWM wrestled rights to long-running series Later� With Jools Holland back from 3DD, and it also represents BBC events such as the Electric Proms.

BBCWWM has made a decision to focus on the BBC's rock and pop output and archive, Mukaddam added. "BBCWW has a long history in music television distribution, but its scope has largely been limited to Top of the Pops and classical music," he said. "The BBC creates some of the most compelling music programming produced anywhere in the world and we are finally making a large proportion of these fabulous programmes available to the rest of the world."

He told C21 that he was confident of reaching the 120-hour target by March 2010. "We'll even get more if possible," he said.

Emily Brookes
13 May 2009
© C21 Media 2009


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