British television, one of the most reliable markets for U.S. television shows, is cutting back drastically on its spending abroad -- and BBC1 may not air a single U.S. TV series next season, BBC1 comptroller Jay Hunt told the British Broadcasting Press Guild on Tuesday. "It is very unlikely that we will show U.S. series in primetime." Hunt, however, hedged a bit later in her remarks, saying, "If something came along that, to be blunt, blew my socks off, I might change that, but part of what I'm proud of is our record in domestic production and I want to keep that being really strong." Hunt also disclosed that the publicly supported broadcaster is not prepared to launch a high-definition version of the channel, saying she's waiting for more HD sets to be bought and installed in homes.

03/06/2009