Sky and HBO Launch $250M Drama Powerhouse HBO and Sky today announced a partnership in the production of high-end drama series.
HBO
and Sky, two of the world’s pay TV leaders, have developed reputations
as homes for the most highly acclaimed television series. They have now
joined forces to oversee a development slate of world class drama
series. The focus of the arrangement will be on high end productions
that feature engaging stories with international points of view and
casting. A panel of executives from both
organisations will be responsible for greenlighting the projects. The
HBO and Sky partnership will be open to pitches from across the creative
community, in both the US and Europe, and is looking for ideas
consistent with the content strategies of HBO in North America and the
Sky Atlantic brand in Europe. This is an unrivalled opportunity for
production companies to have their content broadcast by two of the
leading brands in worldwide television. Within two
years, the partnership anticipates reaching a consistent output,
green-lighting at least two drama projects per year with the first
project coming to screen in 2018. The new venture represents an exciting
opportunity for HBO and Sky to work together to offer our consumers
‘exclusive’ access to some of the world’s very best drama and reflects
both parties commitment to continued investment in content our customers
love. The first projects of the partnership have been initiated in development, with announcements expected in the coming weeks. Commenting on the deal today, the Chairman and CEO of HBO, Richard Plepler said "Sky
has been a great partner for us and this deal allows even deeper
collaboration between our two great companies, which have a long
tradition in creating superior content for our customers. Together we
represent the best in television and combined we will raise the bar even
higher in pay TV programming." Jeremy Darroch, Group CEO of Sky added "HBO
and Sky have for many years shared a common creative culture and a
common vision for the development of high quality drama. This new
venture deepens that relationship, maintains our leadership position in
world-class content, provides great opportunities for indies and gives
our customers even more opportunity to enjoy brilliant story telling." For further information Sky Chris Westcott Christopher.Westcott@sky.uk +44 (0) 333 100 2333 About Sky Sky
is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 22 million customers
across five countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The
company has annual revenues of £12 billion and is Europe’s leading
investor in television content with annual programming spend of over £5
billion. From exclusive partnerships with HBO
and Showtime, to Sky’s own original programming, Sky offers the best and
broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to
suit each and every customer. Whether that’s through the multi-award
winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky’s contract-free online
streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies,
drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like.
This is all supported by Sky’s best in class customer service. Sky’s
success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it.
Named as one of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one
of the world’s most recognised rankings of business’s environmental
performance, Sky ensures its responsible business strategy is embedded
right across the group. Sky has over 30,000
employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women.
Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY). About HBO About HBO Home
Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of
Time Warner Inc. and the world’s most successful pay TV service,
providing the two television services – HBO® and Cinemax® – to
approximately 131 million subscribers worldwide. The services offer the
popular subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand® and Cinemax
On Demand®, as well as HBO GO® and MAX GO®, HD feeds and multiplex
channels. HBO NOW®, the network’s internet-only premium streaming
service, provides audiences with instant access to HBO’s acclaimed
programming in the U.S. Internationally, HBO branded television
networks, along with the subscription video-on-demand products HBO On
Demand and HBO GO, bring HBO services to over 60 countries. HBO and
Cinemax programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide. Source: Sky media announcement |