Big Finish Renewed Until At Least December 2011 - HURRAH!

[Si Hunt]

Big Finish is delighted to announce that its licence to make The Audio Adventures of Doctor Who has been extended by BBC Audiobooks, for a period up to December 31 2011.
“We’re thrilled that the license has been renewed,” says executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery. “and we’ve got some fantastic stories lined up for the rest of 2009, and through 2010 and beyond. Not only from the Doctor Who main range, but also the New Eighth Doctor Adventures and the Companion Chronicles, plus additional ranges like The Lost Stories.
“All of us at Big Finish love making Doctor Who on audio, and we feel privileged that the BBC has entrusted us to continue.”

Bit of a surprise, as there had been hints elsewhere that the BBC might muscle in... but no, Big Finish For Everyone for at least the next year and a half...



Haigh-Ellery, yesterday: "Want to buy a CD?"

Si.

[SiHart]

I'm delighted.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

And to celebrate they announced that they would be now separating all the Doctors, so that we get 12 McCoy releases, 12 Davison releases and 12 Colin releases each week!

Subscriptions start at the AMAZING discount price of £1,800 for a full year's stories! (Not including the McGanns).

[Paul Monk]

I just can't get excited about Big Finish anymore. I'd probably delve more in some of the plays if their download prices were more sensible but they're on a pound or something cheaper.

[The Secretive Bus]

How many people still regularly buy the standard BF releases, let alone all the spin offs? Time was there used to be loads of fan websites dedicated to reviewing the BF releases - things like Tertiary Console Room, Disc-Continuity Guide, etc. - but now there don't seem to be. I haven't any idea what BF releases anymore, it just doesn't seem to be discussed anywhere. Extending the licence is keeping a lot of people in their jobs, which is nice for them, but I wonder how much of a profit they actually make these days.

[Si Hunt]

I wonder if they make more than you'd think. They may not be bought by all fans, but where are the costs? A handful of actors for a day and whatever they cost to produce and manufacture. I reckon probably the subscribers and loyal fans keep them going. After all, they wouldn't do them if they didn't make any money. Would they?

Si.

[Rob McCow]

OK - from memory, so this may be wrong -

BF CDs have a reach of about 5,000 copies. Selling at around £10 each, averaging out for subs discount and cheaper retail, that's £50,000. A Doctor might cost around £1,000 for a BF play, so other actors will scale up or down appropriately. A cast of eight would cost at most £8,000. Manufacturing and distribution, plus studio hire I'd guess would cost £10K - £20K at most? Cover design would be about another £1,000 plus £5,000 of advertising in DWM and occasionally other mags. You'd need to cover the costs of the production team as well, £5,000. And the licence fee. £5,000 again.

So looking at it that way, it wouldn't be surprising if they're only slightly better than breaking even.

[Stuart Wallis]

And you've not got to Jason and Nick's wages, admin or writers' commission.

[Lissa]

OK - from memory, so this may be wrong -

BF CDs have a reach of about 5,000 copies. Selling at around £10 each, averaging out for subs discount and cheaper retail, that's £50,000. A Doctor might cost around £1,000 for a BF play, so other actors will scale up or down appropriately. A cast of eight would cost at most £8,000. Manufacturing and distribution, plus studio hire I'd guess would cost £10K - £20K at most? Cover design would be about another £1,000 plus £5,000 of advertising in DWM and occasionally other mags. You'd need to cover the costs of the production team as well, £5,000. And the licence fee. £5,000 again.

So looking at it that way, it wouldn't be surprising if they're only slightly better than breaking even.

Thank goodness the writers retain their amateur status. Gentlemen, the lot of them.

[Andrew Curnow]

Nick Briggs does a fair bit of writing 'n' producing (not to mention every monster voice going) so that may, in a sense, keep some of their costs down by virtue of him probably being on the payroll anyway. So on that basis, I wouldn't expect 'the production team' to be £5K a play.

Personally I expect they're doing OK, I'm not suggesting they're fleecing the fans but equally I'd be very surprised if they're not making a reasonable profit each year.

[Paul Monk]

Isn't there a way that you can look up and request their accounts details? We do it for any prospective contractors we have. Business accounts are public records aren't they?

[Andrew Curnow]

I think you've got to pay a fee for it, don't you?

[Paul Monk]

I've no idea. I just get my info from office whispers and The Apprentice.

[Lissa]

Why would you want to see their accounts?

[SiHart]

Perhaps people just want to know how much BF are paying Nick Briggs.

From what I remember Garry Russell telling us years ago, it's the subscriptions that keep them going, as they get the money up front for 6 months or a years worth of releases. That helps. Of course the undercutting of the RRP on Amazon or Play doesn't help them much either, as the % of the profits from the release is a whole lot smaller.

Still with the amount of ranges they produce (and not just the Who stuff of course) they must be doing OK, as very few companies expand their range if they've go problems- it tends to go the other way.

Si xx

[Alex Callingham]

I've only just got into the Big finish audio adventures, having recently purchased The Marian Conspiracy (reasonable), Spectre of Lanyon Moor (very good), and Minuet in Hell (not so good). I'm planning to buy more but I will be selective about what I buy as I do think they're overpriced (even secondhand).

[Rob McCow]

There's a lot to choose from if you're looking at the whole of BF's back catalogue. Some of the ones to definitely pick up are Spare Parts, Jubilee, Chimes of Midnight, (anything by Rob Shearman in fact), The Fearmonger, Seasons of Fear, The Marian Conspiracy, Fires of Vulcan.... that'll get you going!

All the ones with Evelyn Smythe are great (except for the ones written by Robert Ross). The Unbound series was also excellent, especially if you've ever wondered what Geoffrey Bayldon or David Warner would have been like as Doctor Who. Just don't get the Arrabella Weir one!