Sky One refunds Cirque de Celebrite phone-in voters

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 09-Oct-07, 16:10

LONDON - Sky One has become the latest broadcaster to suffer premium-rate phone-in problems, with a technical fault affecting its reality show 'Cirque de Celebrite'.

The broadcaster claims a technical fault on Sunday meant that some of the votes it received were not counted. As a result, it has recalled contestant and former Wimbledon footballer Dean Holdsworth, who was earlier evicted on the programme.

Sky has issued an apology and offered all viewers a full refund.

The problems are unlikely to embroil Sky in the phone-in furore that has hit the terrestrial broadcasters, notably GMTV, because it donates all voting revenues from 'Cirque de Celebrite' to charity.

In a move that will enhance its whiter-than-white credentials, it is making a one-off additional charity donation equal to the amount of revenue generated by Sunday's show.

James Murdoch, BSkyB chief executive, has previously gone on record as saying Sky had not got involved with premium-rate phoneline quizzes as they were "pretty sleazy".

He told the Royal Television Society's magazine Television: "Premium-rate quiz stuff always felt grubby, trying to get an extra nickel out of everyone. We didn't feel comfortable with it."