Pay TV Operator UKTV and BBC America have stepped in to save the dinosaur franchise Primeval from extinction. A few months ago British TV station ITV stated that it plans on axing the series after 3 seasons, mainly due to costs. However after a groundbreaking deal to share costs, the new partners have said that they along with Impossible Pictures will keep the series going for another two seasons, amounting to some 13 episodes.
The new funding arrangements will see BBC Worldwide, which licenses the show 45 countries will replace ITV as the biggest investor. BBC America, which airs the show in the US will join the Syfy Channel and Germany’s ProSieben will become the new co-production partners. Jonathan Drake, managing director of Impossible Pictures, said, “The dramatic changes in the business of broadcasting in the last 12 months have meant we have had to completely rethink how we put the funding together for a top-end series like Primeval” said Jonathan Drake, managing director of Impossible Pictures. He also went on to say that the fact that this particular series is much loved by the British public meant that everyone was willing to give them the backing they needed to make sure the show did not go off the air.