Perdita
22-10-2009, 05:45
ANT and Dec are poised to sign a new exclusive two-year deal with ITV worth £10million EACH.
The Geordie duo have agreed to take around a 10 per cent pay cut. Their current contracts, worth around £17million over three years, expire this year.
They will sign their new deals in the next few weeks, keeping them at the channel until at least the end of 2011.
Agents for the pair - Anthony McPartlin, 33, and Declan Donnelly, 34 - have been thrashing out the new deal for the past few months.
The Britain's Got Talent hosts had feared they would be forced to lose 25 per cent as ITV's ad income has been badly hit by the recession.
Ant said earlier this year: "If we're offered less, so be it. I want to make great shows and money comes after that."
But senior ITV figures agreed the pair shouldn't suffer a painful cut, as all of their shows are successful.
ITV is also paying a premium to ensure the couple remain exclusive.
One source said: "Ant and Dec are part of the fabric of ITV and their success is our success.
"We are not the BBC, funded by the licence fee payer, so don't have to justify big salaries of our stars."
The source said the contracts should be signed before the duo jet off to Australia for I'm A Celebrity next month.
Ant and Dec's deal will see them make at least four shows next year - Britain's Got Talent, Saturday Night Takeaway, I'm A Celebrity and a major Saturday night family challenge, currently called Push The Button.
Their shows are some of ITV's highest-rating - the Britain's Got Talent final got 20million viewers.
Ant and Dec have become two of the highest-paid TV faces in Britain. Jonathan Ross is on £6million a year at the BBC.
Simon Cowell is paid around £10million a year.
Ant and Dec are also pulling in around £1million each for their Nintendo adverts.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2693992/ANT-and-Dec-to-sign-exclusive-two-year-deal-with-ITV.html#ixzz0UdXAZNHt
The Geordie duo have agreed to take around a 10 per cent pay cut. Their current contracts, worth around £17million over three years, expire this year.
They will sign their new deals in the next few weeks, keeping them at the channel until at least the end of 2011.
Agents for the pair - Anthony McPartlin, 33, and Declan Donnelly, 34 - have been thrashing out the new deal for the past few months.
The Britain's Got Talent hosts had feared they would be forced to lose 25 per cent as ITV's ad income has been badly hit by the recession.
Ant said earlier this year: "If we're offered less, so be it. I want to make great shows and money comes after that."
But senior ITV figures agreed the pair shouldn't suffer a painful cut, as all of their shows are successful.
ITV is also paying a premium to ensure the couple remain exclusive.
One source said: "Ant and Dec are part of the fabric of ITV and their success is our success.
"We are not the BBC, funded by the licence fee payer, so don't have to justify big salaries of our stars."
The source said the contracts should be signed before the duo jet off to Australia for I'm A Celebrity next month.
Ant and Dec's deal will see them make at least four shows next year - Britain's Got Talent, Saturday Night Takeaway, I'm A Celebrity and a major Saturday night family challenge, currently called Push The Button.
Their shows are some of ITV's highest-rating - the Britain's Got Talent final got 20million viewers.
Ant and Dec have become two of the highest-paid TV faces in Britain. Jonathan Ross is on £6million a year at the BBC.
Simon Cowell is paid around £10million a year.
Ant and Dec are also pulling in around £1million each for their Nintendo adverts.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2693992/ANT-and-Dec-to-sign-exclusive-two-year-deal-with-ITV.html#ixzz0UdXAZNHt