New fund to help Welsh companies develop TV programmes for international audiences

Economy Minister Edwina Hart has announced a strategic funding partnership between the Welsh Government and Sky Vision to support the development of TV production in Wales and boost international sales.

The £400,000 factual and entertainment fund will be used to back new programmes or series by Welsh independent production companies and support other UK companies to bring more productions to Wales.

Sky Vision is the international production and distribution arm of Sky which works extensively with independent producers to drive international sales of UK programming.

The Welsh Government and Sky Vision will each invest £200,000 into the Fund. Projects funded will vary according to the nature and needs of the individual project, with support available for developing programme concepts, making pilot episodes and maximising distribution revenue.

Sky Vision is responsible for promoting and delivering the fund, identifying potential projects and ensuring effective monitoring. The Welsh Government's creative industries team will assist Sky Vision in engaging with the sector in Wales and raise awareness of the fund.

Mrs Hart said: The Creative Industries is one of our fastest-growing priority sectors. We want to establish Wales as an international centre of excellence for high-end TV production worldwide and this investment is part of our plan to create a long-term, sustainable TV industry in Wales .

With the support of Sky Vision's excellent connections within the industry, this new fund represents a major opportunity for Welsh independent production companies to develop their programmes for new audiences and for Welsh supply chain companies, who would benefit from the spend related to productions coming to Wales.

Jane Millichip, Managing Director, Sky Vision said: We welcome the opportunity to support Welsh Government Creative Industries in the production of great factual and entertainment television, that both promotes the Welsh creative sector and delivers real value through international sales. We are delighted to be in partnership with the Welsh government.

For more information contact:

Charlotte Mitchell (PR Manager)

Charlotte.mitchell2@sky.uk

+44 (0)7896259717

About Sky

Sky is Europes leading entertainment company, serving 21 million customers across five countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.

Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europes leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of £4.9 billion. The group employs 30,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate

About Sky Vision

Sky Vision is the production and distribution arm of Sky. The distribution arm represents around 5,000 hours of quality primetime programming from Sky Originals and independent third party production, across all key primetime genres (drama, entertainment, factual entertainment and factual).

The business also has equity investments in seven production businesses in the UK and US; Love Productions, Blast! Films, Sugar Films and Sky Vision Productions in the UK; and in the US, Jupiter Entertainment, Talos Films and Znak & Jones.

In addition to its equity investments, Sky Vision works extensively with independent producers in the UK and US and has development deals with a number of production companies; including Asylum Entertainment and Peacock Alley in North America; and Avanti Media, back2back productions, Chalkboard, Hungry Bear Media, Little Rock, Merman Films, Spring Films, and Roughcut TV in the UK.

LINK:	https://corporate.sky.com/media-centre/news-page/2016/new_fund_to_help...
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