Sky is to launch Fortitude, its highly anticipated new drama, on Thursday 29 January 2015 to 20 million customers in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The series is the first Sky original programme to premiere simultaneously across all five markets since Sky created Europe’s leading entertainment company late last year.

In addition to its launch on Sky, Fortitude will premiere on the same day to 47 million US households through co-producer Pivot TV, part of Participant Media. Over the coming weeks, Fortitude will also air in primetime slots across more major networks around the world, including Superchannel Canada, ABC Australia, Canal+ France, SVT Sweden, TV2 Denmark, NRK Norway, YLE Finland, RUV Iceland, VRT Belgium, Ale Kino+ Poland, Sky New Zealand, YES Israel and OTE Greece. With advance sales to 13 international broadcasters, Fortitude is now the most successful show to date for Sky’s international distribution arm, Sky Vision. 

Described by The Times as “one of the most anticipated TV shows of 2015”, Fortitude tells the story of a close-knit Arctic community that starts to unravel when a mysterious death threatens the town. Created and written by Simon Donald (Low Winter Sun), it stars Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston and Sofie Gråbøl. Further acclaim for the show has come from the Radio Times – “Fortitude is an Arctic chiller which is as addictive as it is original and unsettling” - and The Guardian – “Very few upcoming shows can match Fortitude for sheer potential.”

Sky is Europe’s leading investor in television content and is growing the scale and ambition of its home-grown original production as well as continuing to bring customers the best of the US. Fortitude is just one of the major new dramas commissioned by Sky airing in 2015, which also include The Last Panthers, the crime drama starring Samantha Morton, Tahar Rahim and John Hurt; Critical, the new medical drama from Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio; Enfield Haunting starring Timothy Spall, Matthew MacFadyen and Juliet Stevenson; and Raymond Briggs’ much-loved classic Fungus the Bogeyman. There are also returning hits including gothic horror Penny Dreadful and action series Strike Back.

Stuart Murphy, Director of Entertainment, Sky commented: “Fortitude is truly cinematic drama with a scale that sets it apart. The cast and editorial ambition show what we can do when we give world class talent the space to create game changing drama. Launching simultaneously to 20 million customers demonstrates Sky’s increased reach across Europe, while record sales around the world mean an even bigger impact and greater returns. The fantastic reaction to Fortitude highlights the growing opportunity for us to create even more high-quality drama for international audiences in the future.”

For further information, please contact:

Robin Tozer

Sky

Email: robin.tozer@bskyb.com                  

Tel: +44 (0) 207 032 0620

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About Sky

Sky is Europe’s leading entertainment company with 20 million customers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK and Ireland. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.

Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of over £4.6 billion. The company employs 31,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate