Sky is to air 80 original series throughout 2020, including 10 new commissions, in its most ambitious year ever.
Announcing its largest ever slate of programming for 2020, alongside the commission of 10 new Sky original programmes in drama, comedy and entertainment, Sky today reinforced its commitment to bringing customers the best in original, home-grown content alongside the best of US TV.
The news was unveiled at Sky’s Up Next showcase event at the Tate Modern where the broadcaster shared exclusive previews of brand-new shows due to air this year, with over 25 talent on stage including David Schwimmer, Nick Mohammed, Maisie Williams, Billie Piper, Dynamo, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan.
80 original series will hit Sky screens in 2020, an increase of 25% year-on-year from 2019, together with a 40% boost in the volume of programming from the US. This is alongside aggregated content from its partnerships with Netflix, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, offering customers all the best TV in one seamless service.
Group CEO, Sky, Jeremy Darroch, said: “2020 is going to be the best year yet for content on Sky – we have over 80 original series and 40% more US shows, we have new channels like Sky Comedy, Sky Nature and Sky Documentaries launching and we are announcing ten new commissions today. In an increasingly competitive market, we keep pushing to give our customers what they want, all the best TV, all in one place.”
Sky’s Managing Director of Content, Zai Bennett, said: “In a world where there are more hours of content than ever, we want to make sure that we’re offering our customers the most high-end, engaging TV that quite simply blows them away. We’re creating and investing in our own world-class original content that sits perfectly alongside the best from the US. This year we’ll be making more of our customers’ favourite shows than ever before.”
Sky is committed to more than doubling its investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios, as well as the proposed development of Sky Studios Elstree, a new state-of-the-art TV and film studio in North London. As part of Sky’s commitment to go net zero carbon by 2030, Sky Studios Elstree will be the most sustainable production facility in the world, with all Sky original productions net zero carbon as well.
This new programming adds to the breadth of Sky original series which are already due to air on Sky in 2020, including The Third Day (Jude Law, Naomie Harris), I Hate Suzie (Billie Piper), Save Me Too (Lennie James, Suranne Jones, Lesley Manville), Breeders (Martin Freeman, Daisy Haggard), and The Trip to Greece (Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon).
Key acquired shows for 2020 include The Plot Against America (starring Winona Ryder), The Undoing (starring Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman) Run (written by Vicky Jones and exec produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (starring Natalie Dormer) and the award-winning Succession (starring Brian Cox).
New Programming Announced by Sky
The Tail of The Curious Mouse (w/t), a story about Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter starring Dawn French (Absolutely Fabulous, The Vicar of Dibley).
Bloods, a paramedic comedy starring Samson Kayo (Famalam, Timewasters) and Jane Horrocks (Little Voice, Absolutely Fabulous).
Safe Space, a comedy pilot written by and starring Greg Davies as a demotivated small-time psychotherapist.
Redknapps’ Weekend Warm Up (w/t), a new entertainment series with father and son duo Harry and Jamie Redknapp teaming up for their first TV project together alongside comedian Tom Davis.
Brassic, the hit comedy drama co-created by Joseph Gilgun and BAFTA-winning writer Danny Brocklehurst is confirmed for a third series ahead of the second airing in May this year, starring Joseph Gilgun, Michelle Keegan and Damien Molony.
Intelligence, the GCHQ comedy created by and starring Nick Mohammed, alongside David Schwimmer, is confirmed for a second instalment ahead of the first series airing next week.
Urban Myths the International Emmy Award-nominated series returns for a fourth outing with stars including Steve Pemberton, Robbie Coltrane, Kara Tointon and Katherine Ryan.
Cobra, the high-stakes political drama, starring Robert Carlyle and Victoria Hamilton returns for a second series after becoming one of Sky One’s most successful drama series in recent years, with a launch audience of 2.2m, as well as being one of Sky’s most rapidly binged boxsets.
Sweetpea, a new dark comic drama written by BAFTA Breakthrough screenwriter Kirstie Swain and adapted from the novel Sweetpea by C. J. Skuse.
You (w/t), a new drama written by Ben Chanan (The Missing, Last Kingdom) and based on the novel YOU by Zoran Drvenkar.