Meet the Entertainment Commissioner: Mark Sammon, Virgin Media

Mark Sammon, Head of Commissioning at Virgin Media TV, recently outlined his commissioning needs to attendees of the Broadcast Entertainment Forum (as of September 2009). Mark commissions programmes for Virgin 1, Bravo and Living.
Mark’s View on Living

Living is aimed at young women; its competition is ITV2 and BBC3.
Celebrities, dating, weddings and makeovers do well.  Dating [...]

Meet the Commissioner: Claudia Rosencrantz, Virgin Media

Claudia Rosencrantz is director of TV for Virgin Media; she recently outlined her current channel strategy and needs (as of August 2009).

Claudia’s View on Virgin Media

* Virgin channels consist of Virgin1, Bravo, Living and Challenge. Trouble was recently cancelled as its audience was too niche (boys aged 12-14 years).
* Living is a channel for women under 44 years, with some shared viewing (budget £60-£120 per hour).
* Living 2 will be rebranded channel in autumn 2009.
* Virgin 1 is warm, smart, and mixes it up (and sometimes takes it too far) eg. The Naked Office, Sun, Sea and A&E, Trawlers, Rigs and Rescues
* Bravo is male skewed to younger men eg. Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men
* Not currently commissioning shows for Challenge.
* Can often commission very quickly. Click through for more.
(Photo by Torres CC BY-SA 2.0)

Greenlit: Restaurant in Our Living Room, Virgin 1

Restaurant in Our Living Room ( 8×60′) -  Hell’s Kitchen meets Come Dine with Me format in which two couples have three days and £500 to set up a restaurant in their home. They open their homes to the public, asking the diners to pay what they think the meal is worth. The couple that [...]

Greenlit: So You Think I’m an Arsehole?, Virgin 1

So You Think I’m an Arsehole? (1×60′) – Documentary featuring comedian Jim Davidson. Part of an as yet unnamed strand.
Mark Sammon, Virgin Media TV head of commissions, has said he’s looking to commission 3-4 series in a similar vein. Budgets around £110.000 per hour.
Channel: Virgin 1
TX: TBC
Source: Broadcast

Greenlit: The Naked Office, Virgin 1

The Naked Office (1×60′) – A documentary about a Newcastle advertising agency who undertake an experiment to see if they could improve office relations by shedding their clothes at work.  Part of a new (as yet unnamed) strand.
Mark Sammon, Virgin Media TV head of commissions, has said he’s looking to commission 3-4 series in a [...]

Greenlit: Why Men Watch Porn, Virgin 1

Why Men Watch Porn (1×60′) – Volunteers watch five hours of porn under medical supervision to see what effects it has on them. Part of an as yet unnamed strand.
Mark Sammon, Virgin Media TV head of commissions, has said he’s looking to commission 3-4 series in a similar vein. Budgets around £110.000 per hour.
Channel: Virgin [...]

Greenlit: Trawlers, Rigs & Rescue, Virgin 1

Trawlers, Rigs & Rescue – “Action-based reality” series following the work of the RNLI, RAF Search & Rescue and Dutch Air Sea Rescue teams.
Channel: Virgin 1
Producer: Original Productions UK Entertainment
TX: March 2009
Source: C21

UK Channels’ Commissioning Websites

Links to the UK channels’ commissioning pages. Most have some kind of online or e-commissioning system – see each website for details.