Sky develops with Merman

Sky Vision, the distribution and production arm of European satcaster Sky, has agreed a three-script development deal with UK-based prodco Merman.

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney in Catastrophe

Sky will have first-look access to a selection of projects from Merman, which was founded in 2014 by Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, plus the option to exclusively distribute internationally.

Merman’s current slate includes Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe, coproduced with Avalon and Birdbath Productions, and Divorce for HBO starring Sarah Jessica Parker.

Kylie Munnich, Sky Vision director of drama and comedy, said Merman “is a creative force to be reckoned with. Its high-quality scripts attract some of the industry’s leading names and we’re excited to be working with them on future projects.”

Mountford, MD at Merman, added that Sky would “offer a vast amount of international knowledge and we have no doubt the scripts we collaborate on will benefit hugely from Sky Vision’s distribution expertise and backing.”

Sky Vision already holds stakes in UK producers including Love Productions, Blast! Films, Talos Films and Znak&Jones in the US, while holding development and output deals with Asylum Entertainment and Avanti Media among others.