The BBC Trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, has said the corporation must be prepared to walk away from deals with its top presenting stars if they become too costly and that it should better cultivate new talent to replace them.The BBC Trust today published its report into the talent costs of British television, which it ordered a year ago in the wake of public concerns about licence fee money paid to stars such as Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton.However, the report concluded that there was no evidence that the BBC was paying more than the market price for leading talent compared with its commercial rivals. Also, there was no evidence that the BBC was "systematically" pushing up talent prices, according to the trust.The report, compiled by consultants Oliver and Ohlbaum at a cost of £165,000, did not name any stars or list individual salaries - a move defended by the BBC Trust, which said the information was commercially sensitive.
The BBC Trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, has said the corporation must be prepared to walk away from deals with its top presenting stars if they become too costly and that it should better cultivate new talent to replace them.
The BBC Trust today published its report into the talent costs of British television, which it ordered a year ago in the wake of public concerns about licence fee money paid to stars such as Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton.
However, the report concluded that there was no evidence that the BBC was paying more than the market price for leading talent compared with its commercial rivals.
Also, there was no evidence that the BBC was "systematically" pushing up talent prices, according to the trust.
The report, compiled by consultants Oliver and Ohlbaum at a cost of £165,000, did not name any stars or list individual salaries - a move defended by the BBC Trust, which said the information was commercially sensitive.
