British network Channel 4 has renewed its license with The Great British Bake Off producer Love Productions.
The deal will see the hit show run for a further three years, until 2024, and also includes Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Junior Bake Off, Bake Off: The Professionals, The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer and The Great Pottery Throw Down.
“We are delighted to have extended Bake Off’s stay on Channel 4 for another three years,” said Richard McKerrow, CEO of Love Productions. “Love Productions’ long-term commitment with Channel 4 illustrates a deep, warm, mutual respect and partnership which enables us to bring Bake Off to the widest audience possible.”
Now onto its 12th season, The Great British Bake Off — a format that has spawned numerous international versions — began life on the BBC in 2010 before switching to Channel 4 following a lucrative three-year deal signed with the Sky Studios-owned Love Productions in 2017. The network has claimed that the show is consistently one of its biggest, with last year’s final watched by 11.5 million people, a 41.8 percent share of the viewing audience. The current season is averaging 8.7 million viewers per episode, making it second only to Strictly Come Dancing as the most watched unscripted show of the year.
“We are thrilled that Channel 4 will continue to serve up Bake Off’s unique combination of warmth, humour and soggy bottoms for years to come,” said Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz. “Bake Off is all about optimism, celebrating eccentricity and bringing the nation together — precisely what a publicly owned Channel 4 is here to do.”
