Sky Vision & Sky Arts Unveil Arts Buyers Club

LONDON: Sky Vision and Sky Arts are launching the Arts Buyers Club, a new non-profit initiative meant to support the creation and exploitation of arts programming and events.

The Arts Buyers Club will unite arts programming buyers, commissioners, producers and distributors from around the globe to encourage creative and commercial collaboration across the sector. The initiate includes Slack, a networking platform that will help facilitate the exchange of ideas as well as creative and commercial opportunities. The app offers a combination of public channels for open communication between parties and private channels, which allow treatments and pitches to be discussed, as well as confidential commercial negotiation to take place. Subscription to the Arts Buyers Club on Slack is on an invitation basis, and is free of charge.

Jane Millichip, the managing director of Sky Vision, commented: “Some of the most innovative and groundbreaking programming is found in arts schedules. Despite challenging budgets, the ambition and pursuit of quality remains high. However, there can often be a real struggle for finance and distribution, which the Arts Buyers Club will help to resolve. Its success will depend on the engagement of arts programming executives, and we are really excited about the early expressions of interest we have already received from clients, colleagues and fellow producers and distributors in the sector.”

Philip Edgar-Jones, the director of Sky Arts, added: “This is a great initiative for all broadcasters worldwide. Some brilliant arts programs are being made across the globe and, as we are discovering through our cooperation on productions across the U.K., Italy and Germany, if we can come together on projects we can make arts TV on a much bigger scale. We fundamentally believe arts TV should be great entertainment laced with a sense of event and shot through with expertise—I am tremendously excited about the potential of the Arts Buyers Club to launch new opportunities for us all.”

The official launch of the Arts Buyers Club will take place at Sky Vision’s MIPTV stand today from 5:30 to 7 p.m. In addition to the app, Sky Vision will organize Arts Buyers Club networking events at markets and festivals, to include screenings and panels.