Channel 4 and Sky Renew Long-Term Strategic Partnership — Global Bulletin
BROADCASTING
Channel 4 and Sky in the U.K. have extended their pre-existing, long-term commercial partnership in a new multi-year agreement which, according to the companies, will facilitate greater opportunity for collaboration, commercial growth and innovation as broadcasting evolves going forward.
Under the terms of the new deal, Sky customers will have access to even more Channel 4 content as more than 1000 hours of All 4 — Channel 4’s VoD platform — exclusives are integrated into Sky’s current and future TV products. Channel 4 will benefit from under the new terms by opening avenues to new digital ad revenue streams which can support its Future4 strategy.
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“When we set out our Future4 strategy last year, we made clear that securing strategic distribution partnerships would be a vital part of ensuring we can maximize our reach and impact with viewers in a digital age, grow our revenues and compete more effectively for the future,” said Alex Mahon, chief executive at Channel 4.
“This brings Sky customers more of what they want and supports Channel 4 to deliver on their key priorities, all while providing both parties with long-term confidence in the strategic partnership. The expansion of Channel 4’s content, alongside Sky’s existing partnerships, and the impressive slate of Sky Originals planned for this year, makes it even easier for Sky customers to access everything they love, in one place,” added Stephen van Rooyen, executive VP and chief executive at Sky.
BLOCKCHAIN
Production company American Zoetrope will preview plans for its blockchain-based, nonprofit Decentralized Pictures (DCP) in a fireside chat hosted by DCP co-founders Roman Coppola and Leo Matchett on Monday, July 12 at Cannes’ Marché du Film. The DCP financing app is a talent-sourcing platform which uses the advantages of blockchain to empower community members to better fund underserved filmmakers. Artists will be able to submit proposals via the app, which are then voted on by the platform’s community of users, with standout projects then directed to financing and support from DCP’s network of industry partners. DCP will launch its betanet soon and the full DCP financing app shortly after.
EXECUTIVE
All3Media-owned New Pictures co-founder Charlie Pattinson will step down from his CEO role to become non-executive chair. His co-CEO Willow Grylls is now in charge alongside Elaine Pyke as creative director.
Pattinson will continue as an executive producer on a slate of projects including the upcoming second series of “Cobra” for Sky One and “Champion,” an original drama series from Candice Carty-Williams for BBC One with Balloon Entertainment.
Pattinson co-founded New Pictures alongside Grylls and Pyke in 2013, with Grylls becoming joint CEO in May 2020. Together they have executive produced all New Pictures output over the last eight years including “Catherine the Great” for Sky Atlantic/HBO which garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Helen Mirren; “The Missing” and “The Missing II” for BBC One/STARZ; “The Innocents” for Netflix and “Indian Summers” for Channel 4.
Recent successes include “Cobra,” starring Robert Carlyle; “White House Farm” for ITV/HBO Max; “The Spanish Princess” for STARZ; and ITV/Sundance drama “Des” starring David Tennant — which became the biggest new drama launch on British television in 2020.
FESTIVALS
MyFrenchFilmFestival (MFFF), the primary online initiative of Unifrance — the biggest national film promotion board in the world — has dropped a trailer and the complete lineup for its Cannes Special Edition, running July 6-17. 12 features and 12 shorts from previous editions of MFFF will be free to stream worldwide on MyFrenchFilmFestival.com as well as UniFrance’s social media profiles.
FEATURES
“Mr leos caraX” (Tessa Louise-Salomé)
“Dear Prudence” (Rebecca Zlotowski)
“Leader-Sheep” (Christian Rouaud)
“Augustine” (Alice Winocour)
“Maddened by his Absence” (Sandrine Bonnaire)
“The Rendez-Vous of Déjà vu” (Antonin Peretjatko)
“Hippocrates” (Thomas Lilti)
“Ava” (Léa Mysius)
“Swagger” (Olivier Babinet)
“Willy the 1st” (Ludovic Boukherma, Zoran Boukherma, Marielle Gautier, Hugo P. Thomas)
“Sauvage” (Camille Vidal-Naquet)
“The Swallows of Kabul” (Zabou Breitman, Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec)
SHORTS
“It’s Free For Girls” (Marie Amachoukelim, Claire Burger)
“Man’s Best Friend” (Vincent Mariette)
“The Little Tailor” (Louis Garrel)
“It’s Not a Cowboy Movie” (Benjamin Parent)
“Aïssa” (Clément Tréhin-Lalanne)
“Guy Moquet” (Demis Herenger)
“Monsters Turn Into Lovers” (Yann Delattre)
“Sunday Lunch” (Céline Devaux)
“The Dragon’s Demise” (Marina Diaby)
“Birth of a Leader” (Antoine de Bary)
“Chasse Royale” (Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret)
“The Night of the Plastic Bags” (Gabriel Harel)
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