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SKY ARTS COMMISSIONING
Mariella Frostrup presents Sky Arts' The Book Show, the only programme in the UK dedicated to books
Tim Marlow has been the face of many art programmes on Sky Arts
Songbook is Sky Arts' flagship music show, here featuring Duran Duran
Sky Arts has broadcast the last two seasons of The Met Opera exclusively in the UK
John Myatt has become somewhat of a Sky Arts darling with his shows on art and painting
Sky Arts was granted unprecedented backstage access to Waiting for Godot for our series Theatreland
Clive Anderson presented Sky Arts' massive public art project, One & Other
Sheila Reid starred in one of Sky Arts' Theatre Live plays
Sky Arts and its programming >>
Sky Arts' innovations >>
How to submit a programme idea to Sky Arts >>
Our philosophy could not be simpler - we aspire to make more art, in all its guises, accessible to more people in as entertaining, enlightening and imaginative a way as possible.
So whether you’re into the stunning opera productions of The Met, the incendiary rock of Jimmy Hendrix or the drama and passion of live theatre, Sky Arts 1 and 2 and their sister HD channels are the places for art lovers to watch, and for production companies to be watched.
But don’t just take our word for it – here’s what others are saying about Sky Arts:
“Sky Arts leads the way on visual arts, dance, jazz and opera.” The Independent
“Sky Art is showing the BBC how to do its job.” Daily Telegraph
“Sky Arts is increasingly proving itself the place to find the most interesting and innovative arts programming.” The Guardian
And here are some of those innovations we've broadcast in the last 12 months:
- The world’s first live on-stage and backstage opera simulcast with the opening night of Jonathan Miller’s La Boheme at the ENO.
- The first live drama on British TV for nearly 30 years with Theatre Live!
- Exclusive live coverage from Glyndebourne Opera House
- The latest two seasons of operas from the renowned The New York Metropolitan Opera
- An exclusive series Theatreland for which unprecedented access was granted to The Theatre Royal Haymarket, featuring Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.
- World's largest High Definition outside broadcast - the 24-hour web streaming of Antony Gormley’s One & Other fourth plinth project.
- Exclusive coverage of the Hay and Cheltenham Book Festivals
So what does this mean for production companies wanting to be part of what we at Sky Arts are trying to achieve? For a start, if your ideas are big or bold enough we will be very interested. We do big and we do bold. Like The Guardian observed: “Waiter, a wheelbarrow for this channel’s balls!”.
How to submit a programme idea to Sky Arts
The Sky Arts channels cover the arts world from classic rock to cartooning, foreign films to flamenco and ballet to books. So before you submit your programme idea to us, we suggest you look at the channel schedules and get a sense of how your idea would fit in with the current programming. You can also watch videos online to get a better picture of our output. We only commission programmes in full HD.
To submit your programme idea to Sky Arts, please provide us with the following details on one side of an A4:
- Idea
- Treatment
- Key talent on and off-screen
- Indicative cost per hour or episode
- Press and Marketing suggestions
When you’re ready to present your programme idea, simply email our commissioning team on skyartscommissioning@bskyb.com and we’ll be in touch within 30 days.
