HBO and Sky join forces to launch a new global drama powerhouse

HBO and Sky today announced a partnership in the production of high-end drama series.

HBO and Sky partner to develop high-end drama slate

$250m multi-year co-production

First projects in development

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 Europes 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.

LINK:	https://corporate.sky.com/media-centre/news-page/2017/hbo_and_sky_join...
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