Sky Donates $624,000 To The Film & TV Charity’s Coronavirus Emergency Relief Fund

The U.K.'s COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund, which recently saw its coffers run dry after just two weeks of applications, has received a major boost from the British Academy. BAFTA on Monday revealed that it was to reach out to itsnetworks and encourage donations to the initiative, enabling The Film and TV Charity, which set up the fund alongside the British Film Institute, to create further funding rounds.

By Tom Grater

By Tom Grater

The U.K.'s COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund, officially launched earlier this month by the British Film Institute and the Film and TV Charity, has now closed to applicants, with almost 3,000 people applying for more than £5 million ($6.2 million), exceeding its financial limitations.

By Tom Grater

Even though they only had mild symptoms, Idris Elba says he and his wife had their lives “turned around” after contracting the coronavirus, calling the experience “definitely scary and unsettling and nervous.”

By Tom Grater

Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky said Thursday that it has committed to donate £500,000 ($625,000) to a recently established emergency relief fund to support the U.K.’s creative community amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

The couple pledged just over £90,000 to the charity Feeding Britain for its programs across the UK, which provide families in need with hot meals and food packages. The funds have been called a "godsend" by the organization's national director, Andrew Forsey, and come from excess profits from the BBC's royal wedding broadcast.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry continue to be a force for good. The pair is donating profits from their royal wedding in 2018 to the organization Feeding Britain, which The Archbishop of Canterbury, who presided over the Sussexes' May 2018 marriage, is President of, according to a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are doing some good amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are doing some good amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are doing some good amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Giving back. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have donated excess profits from their royal wedding broadcast to a U.K. charity feeding families amid the coronavirus pandemic.

By Tom Grater

The U.K.'s COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund, unveiled last month by the British Film Institute and the Film and TV Charity, has now launched with an initial £2.5 million ($3 million) pot to distribute to industry creatives impacted by the crisis. Announced with a $1.2 million donation from Netflix, the fund has since received financial support from the BFI, BBC Studios, BBC Content, WarnerMedia and several individuals.

By Tom Grater