Multi-million pound pay deals at the BBC, like Jonathan Ross's more-controversial-then-ever £6 million a year contract, are a thing of the past. Or so says BBC 1 Controller Jay Hunt, who says mega-bucks pay deals for even the biggest stars on the Beeb's networks are unlikely in the future.
Ross's deal has always been controversial, of course, and has come under particular criticism since his suspension for the whole Sachsgate affair. Big pay deals for certain individuals are especially unpopular as the BBC looks to cut costs elsewhere, having not won the licence fee settlement they had originally hoped. Media commentators also point out that it is increasingly hard for the BBC to justify paying big money for talent when such deals are less and less common in the commercial TV and radio sectors, where the slumping ad market has hit budgets hard.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Hunt told reporters: "My reputation in this industry... is as one of the stingiest women in television. I genuinely think the climate around those sorts of deals has changed. In talent negotiations generally, we're in a better position than we've been for quite a long time, because the world is a different place".
Hunt was also asked about Ross' return to the BBC in January, which she admitted would be "a challenge". She told the paper: "I think he will come back as a slightly different sort of individual. The challenge now is how we bring Jonathan back to BBC One and give him support and the platform to re-establish that relationship with audiences".