# Did or could William & Kate sold the broadcast rights to their wedding? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075 "2011-04-28T19:55:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/1 "2011-04-28T19:55:12Z")
I am assuming they did not. But the broadcast rights of certain reality celebrities’ and photos from other celebreties’ weddings have been sold in the past. Are the Royals considered public property in the UK and as such their wedding can be covered for free by the press? I’m sure that the media outlets here in the US will make significant amounts of advertising $$$'s during their broadcast of the nuptials. Anyone know the answer? ETA: considering no one broadcasting outlet will have an exclusive I would expect that advertising $$$'s will be less than otherwise if there was exclusive coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/2 "2011-04-28T20:26:05Z")
I thought this one (unlike '81) was a “private” event, not a state function. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/3 "2011-04-28T20:28:55Z")
There would have been uproar if they had done any deal that excluded the BBC, and probably some consternation if they’d only allowed coverage to the BBC. US outlets might not make much money from ad revenue given the time of day. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/4 "2011-04-28T21:26:01Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > There would have been uproar if they had done any deal that excluded the BBC, and probably some consternation if they’d only allowed coverage to the BBC. > > US outlets might not make much money from ad revenue given the time of day. They probably could have worked out some exclusive US broadcasting rights. I’m pretty sure the Olympics and other international sporting events negotiate broadcasting rights on a country by country basis. And whover purchased the broadcasting rights in the US could have delayed the broadcast to primetime to increase the advertising revenues…that’s what they’ve done with the Olympics in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/5 "2011-04-28T21:39:23Z")
Looks like they didn’t, but some people are speculating that they should have. > **[Royal wedding: the sponsorship deal of the century goes begging | Patrick...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/28/royal-wedding-monarchy)** > > Patrick Basham and Jamie Dettmer: Maybe the lukewarm British taxpayers would have been more enthusiastic if US corporations, not they, were paying for it > [@](#): > > But very few Americans know that, in Orwellian fashion, the royal family is “paying” for the £30m wedding out of its taxpayer-provided allowance, with taxpayers directly footing the bill for the extra policing and road closures, which will total more than £5m. To add economic insult to injury, Downing Street invested tens of millions of pounds leveraging the wedding by promoting Britain as the tourist destination that foreigners already know it to be. Then, there’s the significant hidden economic cost to local councils and businesses of the paid public holiday the prime minister granted for the wedding. According to the CBI, the extra Bank Holiday will cost the economy £6bn in lost productivity. > > * * * > > But the savviest approach would have been to seek American corporate sponsors for the wedding. > > Such a modern, ethical and financially prudent move would have saved hardpressed UK taxpayers tens of millions of pounds. And it would have unleashed an unparalleled bidding war among American multinationals for the opportunity to market to a 1 billion-strong global TV audience – a pot of gold that could have financed the royal family for many years to come. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/6 "2011-04-28T22:56:35Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Then, there’s the significant hidden economic cost to local councils and businesses of the paid public holiday the prime minister granted for the wedding. According to the CBI, the extra Bank Holiday will cost the economy £6bn in lost productivity. They always say this. Here in Minnesota, it’s often said about storms: “That blizzard shut down all the businesses, causing a loss of $xx million in sales”. But I don’t see any real loss here. If I need to go to my bank, but it’s been declared a bank holiday, I just wait until the next day. If I need to buy groceries, but a blizzard closed all the stores, I just eat what’s in the house, and buy groceries the next day. They refer to this as a ‘loss’ to the economy, but as far as I can see, it’s just a minor delay. Sales are down this day, but make up for it the next day. It’s just a minor blip, it won’t matter to the total economy by years-end. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/7 "2011-04-29T00:22:07Z")
Disney and ABC welcome you to the [COLOR=“Red”]Union Fire Company of Philadelphia Royal Nuptials™[/COLOR] 😃 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/8 "2011-04-29T00:35:07Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Disney and ABC welcome you to the [COLOR=“Red”]Union Fire Company of Philadelphia Royal Nuptials™[/COLOR] Presented by **Microsoft**. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/9 "2011-04-29T12:40:12Z")
Given that the _Guardian_ hates the Crown and wants us to turn into a People’s Republic, I wouldn’t call its pronouncements on the subject disinterested. This wedding is deemed to be a State Occasion so there won’t be exclusive rights. Other lesser Royal figures have sold the rights to their more private weddings in the past, though, and been criticised for such tawdry commercialism. ---
**Author:** ![sidramalik100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@sidramalik100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidramalik100)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-could-william-kate-sold-the-broadcast-rights-to-their-wedding/580075/10 "2011-04-30T07:59:20Z")
yes i am also agree with the statement of the above user that it would be a private function not for the publication,s advertisement but both are great and they do a lot in [Fashion shows](http://www.fashionstylestrend.com/fashion-shows) and modeling and acting i hope it would be a good marry