Please wait...
Please wait...

C4 loses Black Mirror to Netflix

Black Mirror episode The Waldo Moment from season two

Black Mirror episode The Waldo Moment from season two

Channel 4 (C4) has lost the right to air the third season of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror in the UK, six months after being outbid by Netflix in a US$40m deal.

It is understood C4 believed it had a first-look option to premiere Black Mirror’s third run, despite the show being picked up by the US SVoD service last year.

But the Guardian has reported that talks between C4 and the show’s producer, Endemol Shine Group (ESG), have ended without a deal being signed and Netflix will now show the 12-part series exclusively.

C4 chief creative officer Jay Hunt was critical of the decision. “Black Mirror couldn’t be a more Channel 4 show,” she said. “We grew it from a dangerous idea to a brand that resonated globally. Of course it’s disappointing that the first broadcast window in the UK is then sold to the highest bidder, ignoring the risk a publicly owned channel like 4 took backing it.”

State-owned, commercially funded C4 has invested heavily in marketing for several ESG shows including The Island and Hunted over the past few years. It ordered the first series of Black Mirror in 2011, produced by ESG-owned Zeppotron.

A spokesman for Endemol Shine said “every avenue” was explored for a deal with C4 but “an agreement was not able to be reached.”

“Only following this and the first series’ exceptional performance when aired on Netflix did Netflix offer a longer order of 12 with an increased budget that allowed producers [ESG-owned] House of Tomorrow to realise their ambitions for the series.

“Further efforts were made to try to reach a settlement regarding a UK window for Channel 4 but these were also sadly to no avail.”

The situation signifies the massive bidding power Netflix now has and the threat it poses to traditional broadcasters in this space.

In December 2014, then BBC director of TV Danny Cohen warned the UK pubcaster was struggling to compete with subscription VoD platforms such as Netflix that were able to “blow it out of the water” for programme rights. It was believed Cohen was referring to Netflix outbidding the BBC and ITV for epic period drama The Crown.

Please wait...