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Turnover was £165.1 million (2001: £181.7 million) and profits,
before amortisation, were £10.1 million (2001: £1.4 million), including
significantly reduced losses from the interactive businesses previously
included in digital operations.
Carlton Productions: Turnover for the year was £75.5 million
(2001: £100.6 million).
Carlton continues to produce some of the best entertainment,
drama and factual programmes on television. However, delays in ITV
commissioning and the ending of the Big Breakfast contract for
Channel 4 contributed to a reduction in output for the year.
Successful drama productions in 2002 included Bertie and
Elizabeth, broadcast in over 30 territories and Pollyanna, seen in more
than 50 countries. Importantly, Carlton Productions now has one of
its strongest ever forward order books. We will be producing
approximately 30 per cent of ITV´s new drama output in 2002/2003
including shows such as Making Waves, Fortysomething, Margery &
Gladys and Sweet Medicine. The successful hard-hitting police series, The
Vice, is returning in a new one hour format and Crossroads has been
re-commissioned for the key tea-time slot with a new production and
editorial team.
Entertainment productions included The Vault, Catchphrase and
more recently Today with Des and Mel, the new centrepiece of ITV’s
daytime schedule. Key televised awards events included The Brit Awards,
The Soap Awards, The Multicultural Awards and The Evening Standard
Theatre Awards. Carlton also won a broad range of commissions from
other broadcasters including Sky, Channel 4 and BBC Choice. Awardwinning
factual programmes included Kelly and her Sisters and we
produced and sold further historical documentaries in the …In Colour
series both in the UK and overseas.
Carlton’s production ventures in the US made encouraging
progress. We formed a new enterprise, Carlton Productions LLC, to
develop factual programming and to build on existing relationships
with Newsweek Inc. and the PBS Network. An international
production fund, established with PBS in 2001, has approved five
important projects for production totalling over $7 million, including
a major film on the Watergate scandal. Carlton also signed a joint
entertainment development deal with the Gurin Company, makers
of The Weakest Link in the US, to exchange ideas on new shows
and formats.
Combining Carlton’s production activities with Granada’s will
create the UK´s leading commercial production company with original
programme and content sales of approximately £700 million. Greater
critical mass and resources will allow more effective and efficient
production for ITV and for other national and international channels.
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