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Sky lines up 50 originals for 2018

UK pay TV broadcaster Sky has unveiled a raft of new shows as it increases its content spend to around £7bn (US$9.2bn) and steps up competition with Netflix and Amazon.

Urban Myths: Public Enemy will air on Sky Arts

The company, which is the subject of a takeover bid by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, has revealed eight new programmes for the new year, taking the number of original series on its 2018 slate to more than 50.

“We’re Europe’s biggest investor in content and we reach over 100 million people each quarter, working with a range of production companies and free-to-air broadcasters,” said CEO Jeremy Darroch. “We see our job, more than anything, as being to scour the world to find the best and broadest range of TV to provide to our customers, wherever they are.”

Sky will up its original programming budget by 25%, said Darroch, reiterating a pledge made this summer, having spent around £600m annually in recent years in this area, with the rest of its content costs tied to deals with HBO, the Hollywood studios and sports rights.

Among next year’s originals, 24 are returning shows. These include a second run of Sky1 sitcom Bounty Hunters, from Cave Bear and Tiger Aspect Production, produced by Ben Cavey and Pippa Brown.

Also back for a second season is Sky Atlantic drama Riviera, starring Julia Stiles. The show is produced by Archery Pictures, Primo Productions and Sky, while the executive producers are Kris Thykier, Paul McGuinness and Cameron Roach. International distribution is being handled by Sky Vision.

New drama Gangs of London is set in the present day and depicts a city torn apart by the power struggles between international gangs.

Set to air on Sky Atlantic in 2019, the show is created and executive produced by Gareth Evans, director of The Raid film franchise, and co-commissioned with Cinemax. It was developed and will be produced by Pulse Films (American Honey) in association with Sister Pictures.

Urban Myths follows stories that have been passed down over time and have now become part of urban folklore. It takes a tongue-in-cheek and deliberately ambiguous look at what might have happened to a select group of famous people.

The series comprises Urban Myths: When Bowie Met Bolan, produced by Lion TV and starring Jack Whitehall as Marc Bolan; Urban Myths: The Dali and The Cooper, a Me & You production; and Urban Myths: Public Enemy, from Happy Tramp.

All are lined up for Sky Arts and are distributed globally by Sky Vision.

Ronnie Wood: Artist in Residence follows the Rolling Stones guitarist as he explores some of the UK’s most iconic cultural institutions, from the Royal Opera House to the Royal Albert Hall. The executive producer is Ian Sharpe and the producer-director is Chris Walker. The series is made by Somethin’ Else for Sky Arts.

Loot sees eight contestants compete to stash away abandoned treasure without being caught by a crack team. Produced by Shine TV, the creative director is Tim Whitwell, executive producer is Matt Bennett, series editor Tom Hutchings and the series producers are Gayl Paterson and Ben Allen.

“There’s never been a more competitive time to be in the content business and I’m incredibly excited by the scale, quality and authenticity of the UK TV industry right now,” said Sky’s MD of content Gary Davey.

“Next year will see over 50 Sky original productions on air and over 20 of these will be returners – a testament to the popularity of our shows.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that Sky’s overall content budget was increasing 25%.

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