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 [...]
TV scripts get coronavirus rewrite as broadcasters resume filming May 18, 2020 TV scripts will have to be rewritten and stars will be made to apply their own makeup under new coronavirus safety guidelines outlined by the UK’s major broadcasters today. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky were among the broadcasters to sign up to a new framework that will allow filming to resume on popular [...]
Putting Six Nations behind a paywall would be ‘dreadful’, says BBC boss March 12, 2020 Any deal to put the Six Nations behind a paywall would be “dreadful” for both audiences and the sport, the BBC director general has said. The tender process for the rugby tournament’s next broadcasting contract is set to wrap up this weekend, but current holders BBC and ITV have been shut out of the bidding. [...]
Sky confirms Disney Plus deal as it ramps up streaming war chest March 3, 2020 Sky today confirmed it has signed a multi-year deal with Disney Plus to make the nascent streaming service available to its pay-TV customers. The deal means Disney Plus will be fully-integrated on Sky Q, while Now TV subscribers will be able to access the service in the coming months. Disney Plus, which launches in the [...]
Sky closes in on bumper £300m Six Nations broadcasting deal March 1, 2020 Sky is said to be closing in on a £300m deal for the broadcast rights to the Six Nations in a controversial move that could wipe the rugby tournament from terrestrial TV. The tender process for the new broadcasting contract is set to close when this year’s tournament wraps up on 14 March, with Sky [...]
US film company plots launch of UK’s largest studio complex February 19, 2020 A US-based film company has today unveiled plans to create the UK’s largest purpose-built studio complex as the British film industry’s gold rush shows no signs of slowing down. Blackhall Studios has inked a £150m deal with the University of Reading to build 1m square feet of sound stages and digital production facilities in a [...]
BT unveils new flexible TV packages in bid to beef up content offering February 18, 2020 BT today rolled out a string of new flexible TV packages as it looks to flex its muscles in the increasingly cut-throat content wars. The telecoms giant has unveiled a range of subscription options that allow customers to choose the TV shows, films and sport they want, with the flexibility to change their package each [...]
Sky urges Ofcom to take action against public service broadcasters February 2, 2020 Sky has urged the broadcasting regulator to take action against ITV and Channel 5, saying the channels benefit from too much “government support”. Ofcom, the communications regulator, allows public service broadcasters – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – certain benefits in return for them making programmes that benefit the public. However, paid-for [...]
Sky launches new factual channels amid production push January 27, 2020 Sky today said it will launch two new factual TV channels as the media firm ramps up its investment in original productions. Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature will launch in the spring, offering subscribers original programmes as well as new series from networks such as HBO and Showtime. New original documentaries will include Tiger Woods: [...]