More Premium Drama for Prime in 2022
January 20, 2022 
2 Comments
It looks like Sky at last is cranking up its investment in free-to-air channel Prime with a raft of premium international content scheduled for this year.
It includes a dramatisation of chef Julia Child’s life starring Sarah Lancashire, Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age, Game of Thrones sequel House of the Dragon, sinkhole sensation Le Brea, Dan Brown adaptation The Lost Symbol, and Australian drama anthology Fires.
There’s also the possibility that Taika Waititi’s HBO pirates drama Our Flag Means Death will get a Prime berth.
Many of these already have debuted on Sky’s Neon or SoHo services (or are about to) but their availability on a FTA platform will be great news for non-subscribers seeking meatier fare than endless reality and second-tier dramas.
Although Prime’s new-season launch for media buyers isn’t due until next month, the details are revealed in the latest issue of The TV Guide, where Sky’s head of entertainment Kristin Prendergast says the move towards more premium international content on Prime in 2022 is “new and quite exciting” for Sky.
In describing the challenging of juggling content for FTA and pay audiences, she says: “it’s a case of ‘how can we get the most possible eyes (on a show), while also making sure that we are keeping enough goodies for our paying subscribers.
“It’s really important to keep that balance.”
New local shows bound for Prime include Brave New World, which will explore NZ’s capability to deal with risks to humanity, Bryan Bruce’s A Question of Justice and comedies Raised by Refugees and Sis.
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January 20, 2022 at 9:44 pm
Great stuff – Prime has some of the best dramas on free-to-air TV. If they cut back on American Pickers and Pawn Stars (they don’t need to be on daily) then it would be my number 1 channel.
Cheers Philip for the Prime rundown, looks like a very good slate of programming and hopefully will carve out a niche for Prime as the home of FTA premium drama. Makes sense to maximise as much out of Sky’s programming deals. Hopefully this new strategy works out and they keep their sports strategy as well to complement it.