Netflix And Sky To Co-Produce TV Series For First Time; ‘Predators’ Will Air Later This Year

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentFremantle has sold out most major territories worldwide on the Martin Freeman-led BBC One smash hit “The Responder,” consolidating the acclaimed crime drama’s contention, even at this early stage, to become one of Europe’s top series of 2022. Banner deals take in France (Canal Plus), Italy (Disney Plus), Germany’s (Magenta TV). Spain (Movistar Plus) and Russia & CIS (Viasat), all leading pay/SVOD operators.

Sky have this week released a host of new discounts on their TV packages.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Roku Channel has picked up sci-fi adventure series “The Pact” from Qatar-based Katara Studios and Taipei- and Los Angeles-based Organic Media Group.The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku hardware and software platform.The six-part show will be exclusively available on The Roku Channel in the U.S., U.K. and Canada from March 26, 2022, and release to the rest of the world in July.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterKorean zombie thriller “All Of Us Are Dead” has become Netflix’s fifth most popular non-English-language series debut, Variety has learned exclusively.On Tuesday, “All of Us Are Dead” debuted on Netflix’s all-time rankings, which tracks the streaming service’s Top 10 most popular non-English TV series based on hours viewed in their first 28 days on Netflix, in the fifth-place slot. Its entrance bumps “The Queen of Flow,” which was previously at 10th, off the list.At No. 1 on the list is still, of course, the Korean mega-hit “Squid Game,” which racked up 1.65 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days post-launch.

K.J. Yossman “The Crown” producers Left Bank Pictures are making “Palomino – a new female-led series – for Netflix.The eight-part series revolves around Erin Collantes, a British teacher in Spain who gets caught up in a “brutal” supermarket robbery.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has set female-led action adventure series Palomino from Sony-backed The Crown producer Left Bank Pictures, with filming set to get underway later this year in Barcelona.

Octopath Traveler: Champions Of The Continent, the mobile and Japan only prequel game to Octopath Traveler, is getting an English release later this year.The official Japanese Octopath Traveler Twitter account has announced that Octopath Traveler: Champions Of The Continent will be receiving an English version sometime in 2022, for America and Europe. The Twitter account also noted that they will “have more to share in mid-February,” and recommends keeping an eye on the official Facebook page to stay up to date.OCTOPATH TRAVELER: Champions of the Continent (English ver.) will launch in North America and Europe in 2022!We'll have more to share in mid-February, so keep an eye on the official Facebook page for the latest news!#octopathcotc #オクトラ大陸の覇者https://t.co/S0OlifhWz6 pic.twitter.com/2wPwNMJbhT— オクトパストラベラー 大陸の覇者【公式】 (@OCTOPATH_SP) February 8, 2022Octopath Traveler: Champions Of The Continent is a prequel game to 2018’s Octopath Traveler released in 2020, that up until now has only been available on mobile devices in Japan.

Sky Studios Chief Content Officer Jane Millichip is departing the Comcast-owned pay-TV giant after nine years amid a wider restructure.

Manori Ravindran International EditorSky executive Jane Millichip, a distribution leader and a driving force behind the company’s sustainability drive, is leaving the company after almost 10 years.News of the executive’s departure was revealed to staff in a memo from Sky Studios CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz on Tuesday morning. Millichip, who currently serves as chief content officer for Sky Studios, is leaving the company after nine years.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has doubled its budget to €500 million ($571 million) for German-language productions between 2021 and 2023 and has revealed a raft of new projects.On Tuesday, the Netflix German-language team presented a selection of 19 productions, including previously announced projects, at the Content Remote Show. The shows are from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Gucci family saga isn’t quite over.Just months after the release of Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” — a film that could see Lady Gaga nominated for her second Oscar — a TV drama and documentary focusing on the Gucci family is in the works from Comcast-backed Sky Studios.The company is in early stages of development on a high-end TV series, and is in pre-production on a documentary series, both of which will tell “the story of a great family and a great brand,” says producer Nils Hartmann, senior VP for Sky Studios Germany and Italy.Both projects were brought to Sky by Leone Film Group, which has an agreement with several members of the Gucci family, including Alessandro Gucci, Guccio Gucci Jr. and Giorgio Gucci.

On Feb 6, 2012, Lilyhammer, starring The Sopranos and E Street Band’s Stevie Van Zandt, marked the first original series to premiere on Netflix and introduced the binge model of releasing full TV seasons at once. The streamer’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos marked the anniversary with an essay posted on Netflix’s Web site and a video chat with Van Zandt in which the two reminisce about how the show got on Netflix and its legacy.

Four months ago, Squid Game climbed to No.1 on Netflix’s US daily Top 10 list en route to becoming the streamer’s most watched original series ever. Now another Korean drama, All Of Us Are Dead, has accomplished the feat.

Finance expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning for households across the UK who could face additional energy bill hikes in October.

Sky has launched its cheapest ever broadband package and is promising customers they will get their money back if it is not fast enough.

The UK property market has witnessed a strong start to the year, with the fastest house price growth since 2005.

EXCLUSIVE: The Berlin Film Festival and accompanying European Film Market may be all about the big screen but, over the past few years, the Berlinale Series has been growing in stature. Series Head Julia Fidel has watched as the barriers between film and TV have broken down and more and more stars, writers and execs behind the biggest movies have chosen to helm TV projects.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix and Sky are co-producing for the first time on natural history series “Predators,” a six-parter that will follow six predators across changing landscapes. The series will premiere on Sky Nature in the U.K., Germany and Italy in winter 2022.

William Earl Sky Studios CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Variety International Achievement in Television Award, to be presented at global content market MipTV in Cannes in April. Frot-Coutaz was the Head of EMEA at YouTube and CEO of Fremantle before joining Sky Studios last year.The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership and innovation in the international television marketplace.