Perdita
13-01-2010, 06:02
FUNNYMAN Harry Hill is "weeks away" from quitting ITV and joining rival Sky on a £3million-a-year deal, telly insiders claimed last night.
ITV execs are now battling to keep the TV Burp star - whose contract ends in April.
We told how Sky is desperate to land Harry, 44, who regularly pulls in more than seven million viewers for ITV.
And last night it emerged that Sky bosses are "confident" of signing a deal with the jumbo-collared comic after sitting down for talks last week.
The satellite firm has been courting Harry to bring his TV Burp show to Sky One since last summer.
ITV pays around £200,000 an episode - but Sky has made an offer of £400,000. Harry - who writes and presents the show - gets a cut of around £40,000 for each show, which would rise to £80,000 in a deal with Sky.
But sources claim he is being lined up for so many shows, his eventual pay will be more than £3million a year.
A TV insider said: "Sky is very confident of getting Harry. He's very tempted by their offer.
"They want him to do TV Burp and have other ideas for him. A deal could be just weeks away, now.
"ITV is trying really hard to keep him but is under serious pressure to reduce costs."
Last night Sky and ITV refused to comment.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2805406/Harry-Hill-is-weeks-away-from-quitting-ITV-and-joining-rival-Sky.html
ITV really want to try to keep him, they don't have much quality stuff on offer for viewers
ITV execs are now battling to keep the TV Burp star - whose contract ends in April.
We told how Sky is desperate to land Harry, 44, who regularly pulls in more than seven million viewers for ITV.
And last night it emerged that Sky bosses are "confident" of signing a deal with the jumbo-collared comic after sitting down for talks last week.
The satellite firm has been courting Harry to bring his TV Burp show to Sky One since last summer.
ITV pays around £200,000 an episode - but Sky has made an offer of £400,000. Harry - who writes and presents the show - gets a cut of around £40,000 for each show, which would rise to £80,000 in a deal with Sky.
But sources claim he is being lined up for so many shows, his eventual pay will be more than £3million a year.
A TV insider said: "Sky is very confident of getting Harry. He's very tempted by their offer.
"They want him to do TV Burp and have other ideas for him. A deal could be just weeks away, now.
"ITV is trying really hard to keep him but is under serious pressure to reduce costs."
Last night Sky and ITV refused to comment.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2805406/Harry-Hill-is-weeks-away-from-quitting-ITV-and-joining-rival-Sky.html
ITV really want to try to keep him, they don't have much quality stuff on offer for viewers