have i missed somthing here? or has the viewers boxes disapeared?

I think they removed the competition with all the new laws and stuff

well thats a shame,will they ever return?

They didn't say it would never return, but Channel 4 has scrapped all phone-in competitions for now.

I think losing the LTL means a few more minutes of the game itself make the producers' cut, which can only be a good thing.

oh so thats what its all about,i know if i'm right itv is still continuing it

No they haven't. Paul O'Grady's Organ Game had returned this week, due to popular demand. As with DoND in recent months, all telephone revenue will be donated to charity.

Thats not a phone in though, you had to nominate people for it a bit like DOND

I'm quite concerned as to where DOND is getting their money from now that the LTL is scrapped. I worked it out one day that from the LTL alone they recieve in excess of £250,000. Surely Endemol aren't using the money from the last BB series?

Whilst i'm not too bothered that they got rid of it, I did like to see people struggle to open the boxes and the contestants voice-overs.

And the amount Endemol are paying out at the moment i'm sure they can afford it. But I did hear they were reluctant to get rid of the LTL as I suppose it does generate a lot of revenue for them, unless you did it for free on the web

They did indeed generate a lot of money per show, so I reckon they have enough to "tide" them over...

Don't forget. Endemol also have other ways to generate revenue through the DoND brand. They've got the new DVD, PC & DS games. Also there are the deals with Ladbrokes, BSkyB and JackpotJoy.

Channel 4 also get money from advertising.

Good time to mention this.

At the recording for one of the Christmas Star shows on Thursday, there was no Viewers Competition filmed - just the show itself, no competition.

Haven't Endemol struck a deal with channel 4 to extend DOND to 2011? I can't see how previous LTL money can cover for the show until that time!

Where is your source supporting that? I had the impression they are on a one year rolling contract.

Croftrock said in a today's show thread recently that he'd heard Noel say on a radio interview that DOND is extended until 2011.

Advertising. In recent months, I've noticed that the ad breaks, particularly the second one, have become slightly longer. They used to be about 3 minutes, now they're between 4 and 5 minutes.