HIT loses $500m in pre-school TV market

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...2/HIT-loses-500m-in-pre-school-TV-market.html

Guess that means they'll be charging even more for Thomas events

 

The Telegraph article says "As well as exploiting brands through traditional media, the group is expected to increase awareness of its brands through alternatives to television such as films and theme parks."

Maybe they will be producing more of their own theme parks, like the one at Drayton Manor in Staffordshire?

Richard

 

How much do they charge now for Thomas events?

 

Alot, I think you have to buy everything to do with thomas as in the made faces, station names, etc....
Probaly end up costing more than they can get back.

 

A lot of railways are stopping doing Thomas events now. Others are doing engines with faces on days. Others are doing Postman Pat or Ivor the Engine. You'd think they would get the message that they're shooting themselves in the foot by keeping costs unnecessarily high but I guess not.

 

How much is 'alot', then?

 

How much is 'unnecessarily high', then?

This really intrigues me. Many soundbites about high costs but no actual figures as yet.

 

Since they started making Thomas series on CGI my little lad doesn't watch it

 

They are killing off thomas, its not what it used to be full of morals and good stories. Now its americanised, sing-along, new charaters every day that they dont learn by their mistakes.
Im all for britt to take it back after its flopped.

Getting children to laugh and have fun is priceless so I dont know why HIT are charging so much for events.
I've only been to one thomas event at NNR and that was amazing, I can remember henry setting the buses on fire and me telling the fat controller.

 

How much do HIT charge for events? Do you know? Is it a fixed fee or a percentage?

 

Sorry Yeah ummm. I dont, I was talking to a friend about it and he was saying just costs alot, I THINK he said they wanted them to rent out the real thomas loco as a face on a train wasn't good enough ( I cant remember if this is right it was ages ago).
It says this on the NNR page: Thomas Events
Statement from the Managing Director:

"The North Norfolk Railway has been unable to conclude an agreement with ‘HIT Entertainment Group’ for a licence to hold Thomas events for the foreseeable future.

We, together with a number of other steam railways in the same position, are disappointed with this, and the position that HIT entertainment has taken.

 

there are a certain number of locos around the country which are, i belive, licenced to appear as thomas the tank engine, so usually they are hired in.
As to the "new" series, its terrible, stock line seems to be "confusion and delay"

 

So we really don't know how much HIT charge to hold a Day Out with Thomas event?

 

What is the position that HIT have taken?

Is it the cost of 'buying' a licence to hold the event?

Or is it something else?

 

Some of their new(ish) regulations that I can remember off the top of my head include a flat entrance fee (ie no rover/round trip/platform tickets), requiring ALL volunteers on site to have CRB checks (regardless of whether actually working with or near kids), plus the fees. There are no doubt more, but those are the ones which spring to mind...

 

I remember that, that your not aloud on the site if you dont have the right trainning or checks.

 

As far as I know, the requirement for CRB for all has since been dropped. Now only for those working directly with children. Of course open to correction from someone in a position of authority with access to current requirements.

 

The arrangements are a business agreement between parties so do not expect any figures to be published here. For the really keen ones get a copy of the published accounts of railways that hold Thomas events and see if you can identify the cost.

 

Surely that cannot be correct. I have read on here many times about the high cost of running a Thomas event so the necessary information must be in the public domain. I'm sort of playing Devil's Advocate on this but it intrigues me that HIT are vilified by posters on a web forum but I've yet to see facts about the costs involved. Sure the CRB thing was over the top and that appears now to have gone away. That just leaves the financial element as the sticking point - yes?

 

I doubt anybody would release detailed figures since these might give competitors an advantage, or prejudice future negotiations. Publicly saying the cost is 'high' does not prejudice anything since 'your price is too high' is always a buyer's default position at the start of negotiations.

Ultimately it will always come down to cost (including CRB checks and other conditions as well as HIT's fee). Railways still doing Thomas events only do so because they have made good money from them in the past - and they will stop (and turn to something else) if they cannot. If a few more railways pull out HIT might be forced either to lower their cost or stop working with preserved`railways and concentrate on the theme parks etc. if more profitable.