In a marketplace as big and different as the US undoubtedly there is further reach among the TV comedy genre for the good old UK sitcom. It seems nevertheless that the mainstream networks favour the homegrown type and the classic English sitcoms observe themselves as nothing but a part of to the PBS channel lineup.
How is this so?
Well, as you would expect in any free economy such as the USA or Canada, commercial elements play a part. More exactly, supply and demand. We should look a little nearer at these dynamics.
Firstly, on the demand side there are practically 1.4million British people presently living in North America, add to this the indigenous wanting for 'all things British' and it quickly becomes clear that there is meaningful quantity of potential viewers that may be partial to turning on some of that old school English comedy. Also there are many many TV channels on the North American continent with positively tens of thousands of hours of scheduling to be provided each and every day.
The issue then has to be on the supply side, right? Somewhat yes, it is not that there is a shortfall of English comedy out there, instead it is that there is not enough English comedy in a format that is suited for Canadian or US TV. This is a somewhat unique situation that is brought about by the non-commercial form of the British domestic broadcaster, the BBC.
There is no question that independent television stations in Britain such as ITV and Channel 4 are now creating some top quality 'britcoms' of the likes of 'Mr Bean' or 'Black Books' by way of example. The BBC comedy organization however is and forever has been the most fertile producer of classic English comedy, and given its position as the domestic broadcaster of Great Britain, it is paid for through viewers TV license fees, thereby dispensing with the reliance on advertising breaks. This means that a conventional English comedy is recorded for a full half of an hour while the American or Canadian networks require more compact 22 minute sitcoms to allow for ad breaks.
Also yet another 'schedule integration' issue occurs to prevent North American broadcasters from showing English comedies. A usual US TV sitcom will be broadcast in seasons that typically consist of twenty shows, while a normal English comedy is usually recorded for only six episodes at a time.
While the North American networks are not going to adjust their broadcast schedules anytime in the near future, the English comedy producers are beginning to realize the potential of the US and Canadian markets, most are now releasing DVD box sets of most well known British sitcoms in Region 1 format (that's US & Canada).
How is this so?
Well, as you would expect in any free economy such as the USA or Canada, commercial elements play a part. More exactly, supply and demand. We should look a little nearer at these dynamics.
Firstly, on the demand side there are practically 1.4million British people presently living in North America, add to this the indigenous wanting for 'all things British' and it quickly becomes clear that there is meaningful quantity of potential viewers that may be partial to turning on some of that old school English comedy. Also there are many many TV channels on the North American continent with positively tens of thousands of hours of scheduling to be provided each and every day.
The issue then has to be on the supply side, right? Somewhat yes, it is not that there is a shortfall of English comedy out there, instead it is that there is not enough English comedy in a format that is suited for Canadian or US TV. This is a somewhat unique situation that is brought about by the non-commercial form of the British domestic broadcaster, the BBC.
There is no question that independent television stations in Britain such as ITV and Channel 4 are now creating some top quality 'britcoms' of the likes of 'Mr Bean' or 'Black Books' by way of example. The BBC comedy organization however is and forever has been the most fertile producer of classic English comedy, and given its position as the domestic broadcaster of Great Britain, it is paid for through viewers TV license fees, thereby dispensing with the reliance on advertising breaks. This means that a conventional English comedy is recorded for a full half of an hour while the American or Canadian networks require more compact 22 minute sitcoms to allow for ad breaks.
Also yet another 'schedule integration' issue occurs to prevent North American broadcasters from showing English comedies. A usual US TV sitcom will be broadcast in seasons that typically consist of twenty shows, while a normal English comedy is usually recorded for only six episodes at a time.
While the North American networks are not going to adjust their broadcast schedules anytime in the near future, the English comedy producers are beginning to realize the potential of the US and Canadian markets, most are now releasing DVD box sets of most well known British sitcoms in Region 1 format (that's US & Canada).
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