Jeremy Clarkson et al might be joining automotive forces once again, but not on the BBC.
A new report claims Top Gear might be re-booted under a new name, courtesy of Netflix.
The Mirror says the video streaming service is currently drawing up deals with Clarkson, as well as co-stars Richard Hammond and James May, to re-launch Top Gear online.
The report details a ‘tug of war’ over Clarkson and his team between Netflix and the ITV.
Both companies are reportedly keen to snap up the trio, but a decision has yet to be made either way.
One source claimed an ITV deal would be unlikely however, saying: “The headache with ITV is going to be the potential conflicts of interest with advertisers.”
He continued: “What would they do if Jaguar or Volvo had a sponsorship deal but they wanted to berate its latest new car?”
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Top Gear would be a lucrative acquisition for Netflix, as the original show was watched in more than 100 countries, generating £50 million annually for BBC Worldwide.
The Top Gear Africa Special ranked as BBC iPlayer’s top show in 2013, bringing in around 3.4 million on-demand requests.
The BBC programme was axed earlier this year after a Top Gear producer suffered an ‘unprovoked physical and verbal attack’ at the hands of Clarkson.
Due to a BBC trademark, the Top Gear title can no longer be used if the show is rebooted elsewhere.
According to the report, a possible name has been cited as ‘House of Cars’, playing off Netflix political drama ‘House of Cards’.
This rumour was cited to a ‘pal’ of Clarkson, however, so we would take that one with a truckload of your finest sodium chloride.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
