Why does America steal British TV shows?

Question

For example "Britain's Got Talent"

Ok I'm wrong, Big deal. I aint afriad of amiting it (Can't Spell)

Answer 1

actually ur wrong..americas got talent was on in the states before it was in the uk

Answer 2

It doesn't steal them. These shows sell the rights to telly channels in other countries.
Millionaire, Deal or No deal, Pop Idol etc etc
Simon Cowell is the person behind Britains Got Talent. He just put it on in America first.

Answer 3

Well, the US and the UK borrow from each other all the time. For example, the US sitcoms "All in the Family", "Three's Company", "The Office", and "Too Close for Comfort" were all taken from British TV shows. Also, there was a British version that was taken from the American sitcom "Who's the Boss?". I think that since the UK and the US share so many linguistic and cultural similarities, their respective TV execs are likely to be impressed by certain shows from across the pond and then be inspired to copy them and adapt them according to the cultural differences of their own countries.

Answer 4

Nobody stole anything. If someone did, there would be massive lawsuits dealing with plagiarism and intellectual property infringement.

If a show becomes a hit in one country, a producer in another country can take notice to it, and buy the rights to it from the originating production company, to make a region-specific version of that show for broadcast in their home country. The original crerators will get due credit for coming up with the idea to begin with.

Answer 5

I think it happens both ways, but usually if its a british tv show being copied by americans, the americans tend to ultra promote it and dramatise it so much that makes it lose the edge it had in britain. Although the americans are still happy to watch it that way!

Answer 6

Instead of asking a question like why did we steal it, ask a more factual question like; why did your fellow Brit Simon Cowell produce it over here first. In my opinion we have made several shows better, for example, I have seen Man of the House and Three's Company, and that show sucked before Americans made it.

Answer 7

Well chill man and get the facts right. The people that dreamt up the Idea are getting plenty of cash for it in all the countries it's shown. Selling a Format is big business if your idea goes global.

Answer 8

We've been stealing them for years.

Sometimes they work well over here...

Till Death Us Do Part = All In The Family
Steptoe & Son = Sanford & Son
Man About The House = Three's Company
The Office

...sometimes they don't...

Men Behaving Badly
Coupling

Answer 9

Er, sorry, but the original show was: "America's Got Talent".
It was made about a year and a half ago and it was imported over to the UK after the US success.
Instead of trying to find some tedious, "us against them" angle, try looking at things objectively.......
Why do countries import and export successful television programmes?............MONEY

Answer 10

it goes both ways i think. People see foreign shows on cable and the ones that get very high ratings are obviously what people like and may like for some time. So it picks up because producers see the market and want it for themselves. I guess.

Answer 11

Well, we steal theirs, but they steal ours, too.
Wheel of Fortune was American first, and now it seems to be in most countries.


I suspect it happens because it is easier to sell a show to the American networks if you can show it is already popular somewhere else.