UK Government Confirms Closure Of $657M Film & TV Production Restart Scheme; Industry Concerns Remain Over Lack Of Insurance Backstop

deadline.com:

Despite heavy lobbying, the UK government has confirmed the closure of the £500M ($657M) Film & TV Production Restart Scheme at the end of this month.The Culture Department (DCMS) said in the last few minutes that insurance trade bodies will work with commercial firms to provide cover to the UK’s booming screen industries as the successful £500M scheme comes towards its planned closure.One insider with knowledge of the situation, however, said only one or two brokers are likely to provide the necessary cover and producers are already concerned they may have to stop the cameras rolling.The scheme has registered more than 1,000 TV productions including Killing Eve, Peaky Blinders and Gangs Of London.UK broadcasters and indies however had held a series of crisis meetings this week with the DCMS to extend it beyond April 30, revealed by Deadline Tuesday, which have not proved successful.Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “As we learn to live with Covid, it is great to see the industry working with production companies to make sure they have the cover they need to create high-quality content for viewers at home and abroad.”New and returning series on broadcast, cable and streamingSeries that made it or didn’t make it in 2020-21Broadcast networks’ fall lineups and schedules