Sky Studios CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz has declared there is “no scenario” in which Sky pay-TV customers will lose access to content from Warner Bros. Discovery’s streamer Max when it launches in the UK. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, she emphasised that Sky operates both as a platform and a broadcast business, allowing for flexible partnership models.
Warner Bros. Discovery is widely expected to move HBO content to its own direct-to-consumer service after the current output deal with Sky ends in 2025. However, Frot-Coutaz assured delegates that Sky will continue to offer Max programming, though she did not specify the exact arrangement. Some HBO shows like House of the Dragon and the upcoming Penguin series were acquired outside the main pact.
Frot-Coutaz also highlighted the strength of Sky’s original programming, noting that only three of the top 20 shows on Sky are from HBO. She pointed to upcoming originals such as Sweetpea, Day of the Jackal, and Lockerbie as evidence of audience appetite for homegrown content. Sky’s low-volume commissioning strategy has insulated it from industry downturns, she added.
Meanwhile, Sky’s new Executive Director of Original Scripted, Meghan Lyvers, said the company is focusing on returnable UK series that resonate with local audiences. New unscripted commissions for Sky Arts include documentaries on Edna O’Brien, Pauline Black, and the Brontë sisters, as well as the series My Week With….
