“Babylon Berlin” and Co.
Sky Germany no longer wants to produce fiction
“Babylon Berlin” will probably no longer be co-produced by Sky in the future.
© ARD/X Films Creative Pool/ARD Degeto/Sky/Beta Film/Frédéric Batier
German fiction in-house productions are no longer pursued at Sky. For “Babylon Berlin” this probably does not mean the end.
No more formats like “Babylon Berlin” and “Das Boot”? As the US industry magazine Variety claims to have learned from an internal letter, Sky Germany will no longer invest in self-produced fiction.
“Not taken lightly”
The letter is said to have gone to the workforce from Germany boss Devesh Raj on Thursday. The reason given is that the entertainment industry, content and viewer behavior have developed rapidly over the past eight years. It is also about increased costs and growing competition.
The production of new Sky Originals should therefore be stopped in Germany from 2024. A decision that, according to Raj, was “not taken lightly”. However, projects that are currently still in production are still to be completed. According to the report, this probably means “Helgoland 513” and the fourth season of “Das Boot”.
Against this background, however, other projects such as the family drama “Garten Eden” or the medical drama “KraNK Berlin” are likely to fall through. Also the industry magazine “DWDL.de” the letter is available. Only a few weeks ago, Sky promised the dramedy “Public Affairs”, which makes it clear how quickly the decision was made. A Sky spokesman confirmed the end of in-house fiction productions on request.
“Babylon Berlin” will probably continue anyway
Apparently there will no longer be a fifth season of “Babylon Berlin” with Sky participation. However, production company Beta Film confirmed on June 29 that it had commissioned the development of a fifth season together with ARD Degeto and XFilme Creative Pool. From October 1, 2023, the twelve episodes of the fourth season of the successful series “Babylon Berlin” will be shown on free TV for the first time. Fans can watch the season in the media library starting September 29.