Sky Deutschland to cease making scripted originals

Babylon Berlin

Sky Deutschland, the German division of Comcast-owned European pay-TV giant Sky, is to cease making scripted shows.

The network, which is home to titles such as Das Boot, Babylon Berlin and Munich Games, is to “halt production of new scripted Sky Originals from 2024 onwards,” according to a memo to staff from Sky Deutschland boss Devesh Raj yesterday.

Shows currently in production, such as the fourth season of Das Boot, are to be completed, but the Sky Deutschland originals team is expected to be closed once those final titles have been delivered and there will be no new commissions.

In his note, Raj explained that the decision had been made due to the rising cost of producing and scripted content, which he said was “in part driven by the emergence of myriad new streaming providers, making it harder for drama series to cut through.” Raj said that the decision had “not been taken lightly” and acknowledged the impact on affected employees.

The makers of Babylon Berlin have confirmed that the German drama series will still receive a fifth season, without the backing of Sky Deutschland. German free TV network ARD Degato and producers Beta Film and X-Filme released a statement following the news about Sky Deutschland to confirm that season five of the 1920s-set drama had been put into development.

Production of Sky originals in its other major markets, the UK and Italy, are not expected to be impacted, with Sky having a far more established operating presence in these countries.

Sky Deutschland has been feeling the pinch from streaming competition for some time now, with this latest development coming just a few weeks after the pay-TV service announced that it was dropping three linear channels – Sky Comedy, Spiegel Geschichte and Curiosity TV – in the coming months as a consequence of viewers moving to streaming and on-demand.