Doctor Who is a BBC show. The BBC is not, to my knowledge, funded by American cable TV subscriptions. It's paid for by British television licences, I think, and maybe government funding? At any rate, not by you, Grognard. Sorry.
I am assuming that I09 is an American website, as that article has a very American tone to it. 8 episode-series are not unusual in the UK, and massive huge hoopla about anniversaries doesn't really happen here. There was not a lot more done for the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street, which is the world's longest-running TV soap opera. Admittedly you can't seem to get away from Strictly Come Dancing when that's on, there are all kinds of side-shows and "documentaries" and interviews and catch-ups but that's not an anniversary special, simply a lucrative brand being milked.