Sky to Double Original Content Investments

Backed by new owners Comcast Corporation, Sky says it will double its investment in originals over the next five years and has unveiled a new pan-European development and production initiative, Sky Studios.

The news comes on the heels of the success of the Sky-HBO collaboration Chernobyl. Sky Studios will make content for the pay platform, as well as for NBCUniversal broadcast and cable, Universal Pictures and third-party outlets, working across genres with a focus on drama and comedy,

“This is a transformational development for us,” said Jeremy Darroch, group chief executive. “Sky Studios will drive our vision to be the leading force in European content development and production. Our ambition is to make Sky Studios famous for quality content and a place where Europe’s top creatives will want to do their best work. Being part of Comcast enables us to increase our investment and to maximize the advantage and leverage of the Sky Group and our partners, NBCUniversal. This is a clear signal of Comcast’s belief in our commitment to producing the best original content in Europe.”

Sky Studios’ first international project is the six-part drama The Third Day, a co-production with HBO starring Jude Law. The division will be led by Gary Davey, Sky U.K.’s managing director of content, as CEO. “This exciting new venture is perfectly timed to meet the growing content demands of our customers,” Davey said. “We look forward to working with the whole creative community, from individual creators to the big independent producers to produce more of the original content our customers love.”