Sky Studios has made its first investment by acquiring a 24.9% stake in True to Nature (TTN), the Bristol-based natural history indie set up in 2016 by former Head of the BBC Natural History Unit, Dr Wendy Darke.

TTN is already delivering a number of premium factual series this year, including Expedition with Steve Backshall, a 10-part series currently airing on Dave (UKTV), as well as Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall on the BBC. Other productions this year include Planet of Volcanoes on PBS, ZDF and ARTE as well as a five-part series, Gangs of Lemur Island for Love Nature and the Smithsonian Channel.

Following completion of the deal, TTN’s editorial and production team will be “further strengthened and expanded.”

The investment is the first to be made by Sky Studios, Sky’s new Europe-wide development and production capability. With the backing of new owners Comcast, Sky’s investment in original content will more than double over the next five years across a range of genres.

Gary Davey, CEO, Sky Studios, said: “The content coming out of True to Nature has blown us away. Viewers have never been more interested in the natural world than they are today and all of us at Sky Studios can’t wait to work with Wendy and the team to see what we can create together."

Wendy Darke, Founder & CEO, True to Nature, said: "At True to Nature, the natural world is at the heart of everything we do. We want to use storytelling to build lifelong relationships between viewers and the natural world. Our new and exciting creative partnership with Sky Studios feels like the natural next step to continue to realise our ambitions for True To Nature and we’re looking forward to making our dreams, reality.”

Staff Reporter

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