‘Babylon Berlin’ Partners Commit To Season 5 Of Neo-Noir Drama After Sky Deutschland Shocker
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The producers of Babylon Berlin have confirmed the drama will get a fifth season, despite partner Sky Deutschland pulling out of commissioning in the country.
The future of the show was thrown into doubt when news broke Sky’s German arm had decided to stop ordering new shows and films. However, its German free TV network ARD Degato and producers Beta Film and X-Filme released a statement saying they have put season 5 into development.
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Babylin Berlin has a unique funding and release model, in which Sky gets a first window on the show for its pay-TV service before public broadcaster ARD runs it later in the year. It then sits on both channels’ streaming services. Season four went out on Sky last October and is set to premiere on ARD this fall.
Beta, co-finances the show and sells it internationally, shopping the show to more than 140 territories to date. In the U.S. it runs on Netflix.
A Beta spokeswoman confirmed season 5 would go ahead without Sky Deutschland. How the pay-TV giant’s portion of the budget will be covered isn’t yet known but sources say it was not the “main partner” on the production.
Sky Deutschland boss Devesh Raj this morning informed staff the company will no longer make scripted shows from next year and is to close its scripted arm. The scripted originals team is expected to disband after current projects are completed. Sky will continue making shows in other markets such as the UK and Italy.
Babylon Berlin is set in Berlin in the roaring 1920s, in a hotbed of crime and politics, sex drugs, emancipation and extremism. Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten are the directors and Liv-Lisa Fries and Volker Bruch star as a young detective caught up in dark conpiracies and a bright young woman who is struggling to improve her family’s miserable living conditions and fighting for recognition in a male-dominated police department.
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