Television production company
Love Productions Limited is a UK-based television production company. Its cooking competition series The Great British Bake Off is among the most watched shows in the UK of its era.[2]
History
Richard McKerrow and Anna Beattie formed Love Productions in 2004.[1] In 2014, Sky acquired a 70% stake in Love Productions.[3] In 2020, Sky bought the remaining shares making the studio a wholly owned subsidiary, seemingly part of a strategy to build a production empire.[4] The acquisition came on the back of increased dividends for Sky 2019 of £22.7 million compared with £3.5 million in 2018; while two directors received £4.6 million in 2019, up from three directors receiving £1.4 million in 2018.[4]
In 2020, the company's key "Bake off" series of productions has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which is likely to result in a loss of income in 2020/21.[4]
Love Productions is also associated with the brands Love West, based in Bristol, and Love Productions USA.[5]
Productions
The list of programmes produced by Love Productions include:
Controversies
Love Productions' best earning programme, The Great British Bake Off, had moved network channel from BBC Two to BBC One after three series due to its increasing popularity.[6] Towards the end of series six, Love Productions's profits were decreasing; the company wished to remain on BBC One, however the £75 million asking price for three series was unacceptable to the BBC.[7] Controversy arose as there were concerns the nature of the show would change with the move to Channel 4 and because most of the show's presenters did not make the move for the following series.[7][2]
References
External links
