Sky Studios takes full control of Das Boot

Sky Studios is to take full control of the deficit funding and international rights of European mega-hit Das Boot, with sister company NBCUniversal Global Distribution replacing Sonar Entertainment as distributor of the drama.

The Bavaria Fiction/Sky Deutschland co-production’s first season has been sold to broadcasters and streamers in almost 100 territories, including Hulu in the US and Australia’s SBS, and will return next year for a second run.

Comcast’s NBCU-branded distribution arm will handle new deals for existing and all future seasons.

The series is effectively a sequel to the 1981 film of the same name and focuses on the claustrophobic experiences of those on board German submarine U-612 and based in La Rochelle during the war.

Sky described the eight-parter as its most successful ever foreign language series in the UK. It was Sky Deutschland’s most successful series and the highest-rated launch of a non-Italian Sky original on Sky Italia.

Sky Studios chief commercial officer Jane Millichip said: “This deal is a great example of the agile approach Sky Studios is taking to partnership and collaboration with Europe’s top creatives.”

The move is the latest development in the growth of the fledgling company.

This week, it has already revealed it is building a 32-acre TV and film studio in Hertfordshire and inked a development and first-look distribution deal with Sharon Horgan’s indie Merman TV.