Tough times for TV comedies

In The Guardian, Stephen Armstrong asks why its so hard to get TV comedy commissions and wonders if Sky will be able to challenge the terrestrial broadcasters.

For Sky, a huge comedy hit would help the broadcaster keep customers loyal."If they developed the new Friends, they'd get women buying set-top boxes like crazy," says Lorraine Heggessey, chief executive of Talkback Thames. "That's got to be what they're after - but then so is everyone, and it's harder to commission to order than any other genre. You can't paint by numbers with comedy."

Of course, developing "the new Friends" might be a bit too much to expect, but to see Sky commissioning any original comedy content will be encouraging.