Altice moves into Sky’s Riviera

A multinational telco has come onboard Sky Atlantic and Sky Vision’s forthcoming thriller Riviera, set in the South of France.

Riviera is based on an idea by U2’s former manager Paul McGuinness

Altice Group will coproduce the series, which is based on an idea from the former manager of rock band U2, Paul McGuinness.

It has been developed and produced by Archery Pictures in the UK and Primo Productions, with the first episode set to premiere at MipTV in Cannes next month.

Sky Atlantic will air the series in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria later this year, while Sky Vision is handing international distribution.

Created by writer Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and starring Julia Stiles (The Bourne Ultimatum), the 10-part drama explores the depravity of morally ambiguous characters in the South of France.

The coproduction deal marks the first agreement between Sky Vision and Groupe Altice, which is launching a premium pay TV linear channel in France this summer.

“As part of Altice Group’s investment in original creation since Altice Studio’s launch in October 2016, this partnership with Sky Vision is a new step in our strategy to become a strong player in the production industry and to reach our ambition to propose the best series to our clients,” said Michel Combes, CEO of Groupe Altice.