Sky donates £500,000 to emergency coronavirus film and TV fund
Sky today said it will donate £500,000 to an emergency relief fund aimed at supporting film and TV crew unable to work during the coronavirus crisis.
The fund was established last month by BFI and the Film and TV Charity with an initial £1m donation from streaming giant Netflix.
It will provide grants to thousands of full-time workers and freelancers affected by the closure of productions across the UK.
“Those who work behind the scenes are the backbone of TV and film production in the UK,” said Gary Davey, chief executive of Sky Studios.
“At this incredibly difficult time, it’s important that we do all we can to support our most needy freelance colleagues and we hope that this donation will help to alleviate some of the immediate financial challenges many of them are facing over the coming weeks and months.”
Filming on productions around the world has ground to a halt as a result of lockdown measures put in place to halt the spread of the pandemic.
While the government has outlined a support package for people unable to work during the crisis, concerns have been raised that freelancers in the entertainment industry were falling through the cracks.
Earlier this month MPs called for clarity over the government’s policy amid fears workers in industries such as film, TV and music face being denied support from the self-employment and job retention schemes while also being ineligible for universal credit.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee warned that freelancers hired on PAYE fixed-term contracts were particularly at risk during the pandemic.
Sky earlier this month said chief executive Jeremy Darroch will donate the entirety of his salary — worth more than £1m per year — for the duration of the crisis.
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