Americanisation of British TV productions

In the past 50 years or so, there has always been recognition in some drama that there may be an American market to which programming can be sold. Lew Grade and ITC were famous for this. For those not old enough to understand, ITV4 has broadcast many such programmes (Department S, The Champions, Dempsey and Makepeace, UFO, Man in a Suitcase, the Saint etc, and even Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons could fall into this category).

However, the advent of BBC America has made the production of certain dramas so blatantly target the USA in a manner more excessive than deliberate or accidental product placement.  This is also just as likely with independent productions and ITV shows too where PBS may buy them eg Downton Abbey
So how is this done:

• Placing a famous American actor in a role - eg someone from Friends or even Shirley MacLaine in Downton Abbey
• Placing a famous or at least acclaimed British actor via an American TV series - eg any of the Brits (sorry Britons!) in the Wire.  Note this can be just for documentaries and not even acting in a drama
• Placing American accents or actors in parts of the series with minimal justification such as a US setting - eg Doctor Who, Torchwood come to mind 
• Blatantly using an American rather than a Brit for a storyline - eg Lilyhammer
• Slight or blatant Americanization of accent.  There is a refined accent with which English people on  US seem to speak.  Typically it is a sort of Crystal Glass English or Scottish Accent which most if not all Americans can understand.  Claire Forlani, Billy Connolly on US TV, Sean Connery, Richard Quest when he was the BBC’s North American business correspondent in the US use this style of accents.  This has been done for instance in the very early editions of the Saint.  It is also the accent most used by English Actors in American films and TV series when playing bad guys 

Although this may save on the licence fee or make profits for BBC America or BBC Worldwide, I am not sure whether this is legitimate or ethical for the BBC to target mainly American audiences or revenues than British ones.  This also applies to ITV while they have a subsidised place on the spectrum for a public service remit.
Finally, the cynic in me suggests that there is at least one American job in an ambitious Brit in the Media.

The BBC proms etc

The evil? James Murdoch and his smarter sister referred to the BBC's encompassing reach.  One example is the (posh peoples's?) Proms.  Over the decades? it has become on the BBC, the BBC proms - apart from I presume the last night...

The Olympics coverage, I thought was so-so.  I did not have enough smartphone or web access or time to enjoy it.  They do need to work on the commentators and trackside though. One thing that the Australian NRL has tried to do is to ensure that ex-players get media training in their future television deal.  If this includes camera work, directors floor managers, work outside of sport  etc then this would be clever.  If it is just more talking heads on RL then it is doomed to disappoint.

One of way improving RL and for that matter Union is to get rid of the kicking tee and sand.

Also, the ratings seem to confirm that people do not want to go below 4 on the Freeview channel settings.

Will there ever be a US television programme getting rating for Dallas first time around in the UK?  No.

The Voice UK.- there is only one Adele and to try and find another one is always going to end in failure.  As would trying to find an old Mick Jagger or Madonna.

The Voice of Holland live op Radio 538

The Voice of Holland live op Radio 538 - why this Dutch phrase could be valuable to ITV or BBC In the Netherlands, on RTL 4 the original version of the pop contest show The Voice is broadcast. Radio 538, which is arguably the number one Dutch commercial pop station, drops its dance music programming on Friday evenings to go behind the scenes on the show of its sister broadcaster. Presumably, the ratings are better than the regular dance music alternative or at least cheaper. Will the BBC do something similar for The Voice or can ITV or ITN productions do something similar for radio based on the X-Factor?