SkyShowtime is now the new home in Europe for 21 HBO Max European originals.
The titles, which include Sweden’s Beartown, Norway’s Beforeigners and Denmark’s Kamikaze, were pulled from HBO Max as Warner Bros. Discovery took writedowns, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Now, SkyShowtime subscribers in all 22 of its markets will have access to the originals as part of the agreement between SkyShowtime and WBD.
The deal spans 168 episodes, or more than 150 hours, of locally produced original scripted content, including the world premieres of three previously unreleased series on SkyShowtime in 2023.
“This is a landmark deal for SkyShowtime, giving us an immediate foothold in the original programming space well ahead of plan,” SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan said in a statement to THR. “As a streaming service created specifically for Europe, SkyShowtime is committed to consumers in our markets. Local programming is an important part of our strategy, and we are pleased to be the home for these new series, as well as popular shows that resonated with audiences across the Nordics, Central & Eastern Europe and Spain.”
In February 2022, SkyShowtime gained regulatory permission and went live in 12 of its 22 markets. During the first quarter, it will make its debut in other markets, which include Albania, Andorra, Czechia, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.
“Local original programming has always been a key part of our content proposition,” Jon Farrar, head of programming at SkyShowtime, said. “We are thrilled to announce this first step in our original programming strategy. We are uniquely dedicated to our markets and look forward to working with local writers and producers to bring even more authentic stories to our subscribers.”