And one more piece of news about Ozzy – as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, MTV has picked up two more seasons (total of 20 episodes) of the popular show "The Osbournes". Here’s some news about it:
NEW YORK (Reuters) – With the ink drying on a new contract for two more seasons of the profanity-prone hit "The Osbournes," MTV stands to make a lot of bleepin’ money from the exploits of Jack, Kelly, Sharon and Ozzy.
Thirty-second commercials on the show, a sort of "Beverly Headbangers" story of the rock-and-roll Osbourne clan, are going for upward of $100,000, according to media buying sources. That would be a record for a cable TV series and the latest sign that cable stations are increasingly going head- to-head with the broadcast networks for advertising dollars.
"Any time you get a targeted cable network that can achieve broadcast-sized ratings, it’s a pretty dramatic story," said Jack Myers, editor-in-chief of the industry newsletter Jack Myers Report. "’The Osbournes’ is a must-have show for advertisers looking to reach teens and people 18 to 34."
The show drew 7.8 million people at its peak in May, according to Nielsen Media research, which pales in comparison to, say, 24 million viewers for "Friends," but still makes "The Osbournes" the highest rated show on cable.
Industry trade publications reported the family could receive as much as $20 million over two years — a 100-fold increase from the $200,000 they received for the first season — although MTV executives denied the contract was worth that much.
The New York Times said the Osbournes drove a hard and sometimes bizarre bargain, asking for such things as a new house and lifetime psychotherapy for their dogs and cats. The Times added that the terms of the deal changed almost daily.
The buzz around the show has at times surpassed its blockbuster ratings, with Ozzy making headlines with his visit in May to the White House Correspondents dinner and children Jack and Kelly appearing on MTV’s "Total Request Live."
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