BBC Sounds launches on Sky in latest streaming tie-up January 12, 2021 Sky has agreed a deal with the BBC to embed the Sounds app on its platform, marking the pay-TV giant’s latest effort to become a one-stop shop for streaming services. From today the BBC Sounds app will be available to all Sky Q customers in the UK, offering more than 80,000 hours of audio content. [...]
Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch to step down January 6, 2021 Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch is stepping down after 13 years at the helm of the media giant. Darroch, who is one of the UK’s longest-serving bosses, will retire as chief executive and take up the role of executive chairman. He will be replaced by Dana Strong, who is currently president of consumer services at [...]
Sky’s Kay Burley to be off-air for six months following Covid rule breach December 10, 2020 Sky News presenter Kay Burley has agreed to be off-air for the next six months after breaking coronavirus restrictions rules. Last weekend Burley celebrated her 60th birthday with a group of 10 friends the Century Club, a private members’ club on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. The party sat across two tables, with six at one and [...]
Sky Sports attracts record viewing figures for second time in two months December 8, 2020 Sky Sports has thrived during the second national lockdown, breaking its audience records for the second time in two months. Sunday 29 November saw an average of 1.17m viewers and a peak of 4m tune in to the Sky Sports portfolio of channels. Drawing the record audience were a triple header of live football that [...]
Chernobyl effect drives British TV exports to record high November 26, 2020 The value of UK TV exports hit a record high last year as blockbuster dramas such as Chernobyl sparked a boom in international demand. Hit TV shows generated £1.48bn in the year to March, a six per cent increase year on year, according to figures from industry body Pact. Scripted drama was the key driver [...]
Sky beefs up content slate with Entertainment One film deal November 25, 2020 Sky today said it has inked a multi-million-pound film deal with Entertainment One as it looks to ramp up its content offering for the escalating streaming wars. The long-term deal covers almost 200 movies from eOne’s library, including the Twilight franchise and Dallas Buyers Club, which will now be available to Sky Cinema customers at [...]
Drop in drama comes at bad time for Premier League’s pay-per-view push October 26, 2020 Who remembers the good old days of a few weeks ago, when the Premier League was all goals and madcap scorelines? Leicester smashing five at Manchester City was soon eclipsed by Tottenham’s six-goal romp at Manchester United and then, giddily, Aston Villa putting seven past champions Liverpool. Gameweek Two had set the tone, ushering in [...]
Shell makes surprise bid for Post Office broadband division October 22, 2020 Oil giant Shell is said to have made a surprise entry into the race to snap up the Post Office’s telecoms division, paving the way for a potential shake-up of the UK broadband market. The FTSE 100 company already has a presence in the telecoms market after taking control of energy and broadband provider First [...]
Exclusive: Sky to open first retail stores as it takes on high street rivals August 28, 2020 Sky is set to open its first ever brick-and-mortar retail stores in the UK as the broadcaster and telecoms giant defies faltering footfall to turn up the heat on its rivals. The media group is poised to open its first outlets in the coming months, providing a physical point of sale for its mobile, TV [...]
Bafta Awards: Sky production push pays off as Chernobyl leads nominations June 4, 2020 Hit Sky series Chernobyl has picked up 14 nominations at the Bafta Television Awards 2020 as the media giant reaps the rewards of its production push. The critically-acclaimed miniseries, which is based on the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, led the field at this year’s awards. It is now one of the [...]