Gateway Merseyside Discuss Sky’s Decision To Launch A Multi-million Pound Film Fund

April 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Gateway Merseyside is a Liverpool based sales and marketing company and represents brands within the entertainment industry.  The Managing Director of Gateway Merseyside was excited to hear about Skys latest announcement of their spending plans into the British television market.  They announced a "multi-million pound" project to fund British-made movies. The network, which has been criticised in the past for a lack of investment in British content, says it will spend up to £5m on new productions. The move is likely to be regarded as a challenge to the BBC and Channel 4, both of which fund feature films. ‘This is a massive leap forward into the right direction, working alongside the entertainment industry I understand what a difference this kind of investment will make,’ continues the MD of Gateway Merseyside.

In a statement, the satellite broadcaster said it would invest in "a number of feature-length films for television aimed at the whole family over the next five years". These would premiere on the Sky Movies channel. Additionally, Sky Atlantic will commission "up to 12 peak time landmark documentaries". Some films have already gone into production, but Sky is asking people to approach them with further pitches. The investment comes on the heels of the government's review of British film policy, which was published in January. The review called on the UK's "major broadcasters to invest more in the screening, acquisition and production of independent British film".

Sky's chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, said the broadcaster saw "a real opportunity in British films". He added that the investment was designed to strengthen BSkyB's subscriber base. "We know British programming resonates strongly with our customers, so we've been building our capability and credibility in this area over the last couple of years." The broadcaster has already made a handful of high-profile feature-length films - including Treasure Island, which starred Eddie Izzard and Elijah Wood, and a series of adaptations of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, featuring David Jason.

Sky pledged to spend £600 million on UK productions by 2014. Gateway Merseyside is impressed with the action Sky has taken. A source form the company goes further to say, ‘many companies take criticism with a pinch of salt and don’t really do anything about it – this step forward will hold Sky in much higher regards amongst the broadcast industry.’

http://www.bbc.co.uk