ITV are planning to steal ‘The Voice’ from the BBC.
The commercial TV network is reportedly plotting a sensational bid to buy the show off of the public service broadcaster after a government report instructed the BBC to stop chasing ratings with big-budget programmes.
Although BBC One has one series of the singing competition left on its current deal, The Sun newspaper reports that it’s unlikely they will pay £11 million to secure the format for another year.
ITV also bought Talpa Media – who make the show – earlier this year, putting them in a good position to acquire the rights.
The news comes after former ‘The Voice’ judge Rita Ora decided to quit the show in favour of it’s ITV rival ‘The X Factor’ earlier this year.
A source told the newspaper: "If ITV got ‘The Voice’ it would be a huge coup and send shockwaves through the TV world.
"Entertainment programmes are hard to come by, so strong ones like this are at a premium. But a deal is becoming more and more realistic by the day.
"The show would also fit perfectly into ITV’s schedule. January to April has been a quiet time for them since they dropped ‘Dancing On Ice’ in 2014.
"They could run ‘The Voice’ until ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ in April, then ‘The X Factor’ would take over from August to the year end. ITV would dominate Saturday night TV. BBC would have no blockbuster formats other than ‘Strictly Come Dancing’."
ITV to steal The Voice from the BBC?
