Sony’s Somethin’ Else In Talks With BBC To Pull Out Of Major Radio Contracts

Jake Kanter
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Somethin’ Else’s days as a major BBC radio supplier look set to be numbered after the Sony-owned company entered talks with the corporation to pull out of major contracts.

Deadline understands that Somethin’ Else has notified the BBC of its plans to stop making programs, such as Liza Tarbuck’s BBC Radio 2 show, amid concerns over diminishing commercial returns.

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Somethin’ Else and the BBC declined to comment, but it is known that production staff have entered a period of consultation. It is not clear how many roles could be impacted by the changes.

The BBC declined to confirm which shows are impacted, but Somethin’ Else makes brands including Fearne Cotton’s Sounds of the 90s, Radio 1’s Rock Show, and Trever Nelson’s Rhythm Nation.

Somethin’ Else wants to continue producing the iconic Radio 4 show Gardeners’ Question Time, while it may also hang on to Jay Rayner’s The Kitchen Cabinet.

The situation potentially presents a headache for the BBC. It is not clear if it will have to re-tender the shows to other third-party producers or whether it has the ability — and the resources — to take the production contracts back in-house.

One source raised the possibility of Somethin’ Else sub-contracting the shows to other producers, though it is likely that this would require the BBC’s blessing.

Somethin’ Else has been one of the BBC’s biggest production partners since the audio company was established in 1991. Sony Music Entertainment acquired Somethin’ Else in 2021 and the production outfit has become synonymous with podcasts including David Tennant Does A Podcast With… and Kermode & Mayo’s Take.

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