Sky reveals first BAME figures

Two years ago, Sky said new entertainment programmes would deliver 20% BAME representation on screen and in writing teams, and at least one senior BAME exec per production.

Speaking at a Diversity in Broadcasting event in Osterley, chief executive Jeremy Darroch revealed that in drama, 85% of its shows, including Red Production

Company’s The Five and Carnival Films-produced Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, have hit the on-screen diversity target, with 91% hitting the writing target and 67% reaching the production goal.

However, it has struggled in comedy and non-scripted.

While 100% of its comedies have achieved the writing goal, only 14% have hit the on-screen target. Just 53% of shows had a senior production role filled by a BAME exec.

In non-scripted, only 40% of shows have hit the onscreen target and 52% have achieved the production standard. Darroch said it had made “significant” and “tangible” progress, but acknowledged that considerable challenges remain.

Managing director of content Gary Davey said that Sky needs to invest in new pools of off-camera talent and train young people to address gaps in these difficult genres.

Darroch added: “We’re aspiring to be one of the most inclusive entertainment companies… and our programmes have to better reflect their lives, values and interests, which means diversity in the widest sense is important for our business.”

He also revealed that Sky News is aiming to have 35% female representation on screen, with a long-term goal of increasing this to 50%, with 14% BAME representation.

Darroch said it had already started to make progress, particularly in its daily paper review show.

Sky is also monitoring guests and pundits for Sky Sports and working with sports governing bodies to introduce diverse production schemes.

“We need to do this across the whole of our business,” Darroch said. “We’ve had to look at news and sport differently… we have little control over who plays in the Chelsea versus Manchester United game, but there are some areas we can control and influence.”

The event also featured Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham, ABC Studios international boss Keli Lee, Lenny Henry and Sharon White, chief executive of Ofcom, which launched a monitoring programme to track diversity data across broadcasters.

Henry said that “diversity on TV is on the brink of a massive change” and that it is important for Ofcom to publish independent statistics – “we can’t tick our own homework anymore”.

He also called for the regulator to formally define diversity.

He said Ofcom should set minimum standards for BAME staff and productions at the BBC, because there is otherwise a danger of having “a high-jump competition without a bar”.