Interesting Financial Times piece about the BBC's future

Excerpt:

"The BBC’s plight is not unique: public broadcasters around the world are struggling to navigate the new age of media. In the US this month, PBS lost the best rights to Sesame Street after 45 years because it could only cover about one-tenth of the show’s cost. Weeks earlier, Europe’s public broadcasters were outbid for the rights to air the Olympics by Discovery Communications, the owner of Eurosport.

"In the UK, as the BBC’s wings are clipped, its rivals are preparing for lift-off. Amazon’s streaming service has signed Jeremy Clarkson, recently ejected from the BBC’s motoring programme Top Gear for punching a producer. Clarkson, his two co-presenters and their (other) producer will be paid about £160m for three series of a new show on Amazon. The BBC’s total budget for all its presenters, actors and performers — from Gary Lineker to the extras on EastEnders — is £188m a year."
The whole story