Sky Studios expands production pacts with Free@Last TV, Sagafilm

Agatha Raisin

Sky Studios has struck a multi-year development and distribution deal with Agatha Raisin producer Free@Last TV and Nordic prodco Sagafilm.

Under the deals, Sky Studios will co-develop scripted series with the producers for a range of global outlets, while NBCUniversal Global Distribution is to handle international sales for the projects.

Founded by Barry Ryan and David A. Walton in 2001, Free@Last TV’s slate includes Sky One and Acorn TV’s Agatha Raisin, as well as the biopics Lonely Boy – The Benny Hill Story, crime drama The Women, and an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s The Flight of the Falcon.

Meanwhile, Icelandic producer Sagafilm works across scripted, non-scripted, documentary and factual programming in the Nordic region.

Its slate includes Stella Blómkvist, The Night Shift and Case, and has recently expanded its slate to include a raft of major drama and documentary projects including the upcoming drama series The Minister and Thin Ice in co-production with YellowBird.

The deals come just months after Sky Studios made its first prodco investment, taking a minority stake in Wendy Darke’s True to Nature.

Jane Millichip, chief commercial officer at Sky Studios, said: “Free@Last and Sagafilm are incredibly smart and creatively distinctive companies. We look forward to working with both teams to bring high quality and internationally attractive series to market.”

David Walton, joint MD and creative director for Free@Last TV, added: “We’re very excited to be working with the team at Sky Studios at the beginning of what promises to be a very productive time for content development at Free@Last TV. We have many series in development with international appeal and working with connected partners is the way forwards for us.”

Hilmar Sigurdsson, CEO at Sagafilm, said: “We are proud to have completed this development agreement with Sky Studios. It shows the strength of our development department and is a sound confirmation that our strategies to bring stories to the international market is working. We look forward to delivering exciting new TV series under this agreement with such a renowned partner as Sky Studios.”