Sky today joined the BBC and Channel 4 in creating a fund for British film production. The new fund, which follows a commitment by Sky Atlantic to fund documentary making, is being seen as a challenge to other broadcasters to up the stakes and increase their own support of the industry.
The Sky fund would be aimed at supporting films with total budgets of around £5M, which would then premiere on Sky Movies. By aiming at films that can be enjoyed by the whole family, it distinguishes itself from the wide ranging remit of the BBC and from Channel 4's preference for art films and films exploring minority issues.
Although it has previously partnered with projects like the UK Jewish Film Festival, Sky has often been criticised for its unwillingness to make a serious investment in the industry. Chief executive Jeremy Darroch has acknowledged this but says of his new projects "I’m very encouraged by the progress we’ve achieved so far, particularly in original comedy and drama, but we’re only at the start and we’re determined to raise our ambitions again and keep improving.”
