Sky & HBO buy into Bad Wolf

Scripted strategies at Sky and HBO are once again aligning, with both of the pay TV giants buying into Jane Tranter’s Bad Wolf Productions.

Sky and HBO are already committed to a US$250 million drama coproduction pact, and will now both take stakes in Bad Wolf.

Yesterday, Sky revealed A Discovery of Witches, a new drama from Bad Wolf billed as a supernatural love story set in the UK university town of Oxford. Bad Wolf also produced acclaimed HBO miniseries The Night Of.

Both Sky and HBO get a seat on the Bad Wolf board as a result of the investments, and the deal means they are both committing to a supply of drama from the prodco.

Bad Wolf, which is based in Wales, launched last year with investment from the Welsh Government and Access Entertainment, the content fund that former BBC television Chief Danny Cohen runs.

It also has an office in LA, where Tranter and co-founder Julie Gardner previously worked at BBC Worldwide Productions.

Sky and HBO recently unveiled the first fruit of their copro pact, a drama based on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Sky has committed to increasing its scripted output by 25% following on from series such as Guerrilla and Jamestown, while HBO is eyeing life after Game of Thrones, which ends next year.

THE DEAL IN QUOTES

Jane Tranter, CEO, Bad Wolf: The synergy between HBO and Sky perfectly matches the transatlantic ambitions of Bad Wolf. From Rome and Five Days through to Getting On and The Night Of, Julie and I have always had a creatively fulfilling relationship with HBO. A Discovery of Witches marks our first partnership with Sky and we are thoroughly enjoying being part of their creative vision for TV. This transatlantic relationship, with its roots in South Wales, is something we cannot wait to get stuck into.”

Casey Bloys, programming president, HBO: “Our experience working with Bad Wolf on The Night Of laid the groundwork for what I know will be a very fruitful production partnership alongside our friends at Sky, one that will reflect our common ambition for producing television of the highest quality.”

Gary Davey, managing director, content, Sky: “I have long been an admirer of Jane and Julie’s work and thought The Night Of, which Jane produced, was the stand-out US production of 2016. We look forward to working with Bad Wolf in bringing more high-end drama and great story-telling to screen. Sky and HBO share a common creative culture and this deal deepens our relationship and maintains our leadership position in world-class content.”