STV AND SKY AGREE FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

RNS Number : 3576M

STV Group PLC

07 January 2019

 

PRESS RELEASE                 PRESS RELEASE                 PRESS RELEASE

7 January 2019

STV AND SKY AGREE FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

STV and Sky have today announced a five-year strategic partnership, which will give Sky customers in Scotland access to STV's regional variants in full HD, as well as STV's leading VOD service - STV Player - on their set top boxes for the first time.

Sky customers in STV's broadcast licence areas will be able to catch up on their favourite STV programmes - including Coronation Street and Britain's Got Talent and classic shows from the STV archives - on Sky Q and Sky+ set top boxes, as well as mobile devices via streaming and offline viewing. The STV Player will be available in the second half of 2019.

As part of the deal, all four STV regions will launch in HD to create the first fully regionalised PSB HD service on Sky, giving Sky customers across Scotland access to regional STV programming including STV News at Six. The new HD variants are expected to launch in the first half of 2019.

This new partnership enhances an already strong relationship between the two broadcasters, with STV Player already available on Sky's NOW TV. Additionally, the deal will support future functionality, including cloud recording and restart, and IP delivery.

Simon Pitts, CEO of STV, said: "We're delighted to be strengthening our partnership with Sky, which will give Sky viewers across Scotland even better access to STV's hit shows whenever and wherever they want them."

Stephen van Rooyen, CEO UK & Ireland, Sky, said: "This partnership with STV will bring even more great content to Sky customers across Scotland, as well as enabling us to collaborate and launch the first fully regionalised HD service from a public service broadcaster."

Ends

For further information, please contact:

STV

Katie Martin

0141 300 3109

[e-mail] 

Anna Hendry

0141 300 3830

[e-mail] 

Sky

Harrison Kelly

[phone]

[e-mail] 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About STV

STV is Scotland's leading digital media brand, providing consumers with quality content on air, online and on demand. 

STV's digital business incorporates Scotland's most popular commercial media website, stv.tv, and includes an enhanced digital news app serving consumers local, national and international news as well as features, sport and weather in one place.  The STV Player offers consumers within STV's licence areas in Scotland the opportunity to enjoy programmes live or on catch-up. With 2.8m registered users, the STV Player now reaches over two thirds of Scottish adults.

STV's broadcast channel reaches 3.5 million viewers each month with first class programming including soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street, big drama productions, entertainment hits The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, strong home-grown productions and the most comprehensive local news service in the UK. 

STV Productions is one of the UK's leading content businesses with ambitious plans for domestic and international growth. The company has a record of success across a range of genres, including drama, entertainment and factual, producing programmes for a variety of broadcasters. Highlights include entertainment show Catchphrase for ITV, ratings winner Antiques Road Trip for BBC One and documentaries Britain's Polar Bear Cub for Channel 4, Ross Kemp Behind Bars - Inside Barlinnie for ITV and Prison: First & Last 24 Hours for Sky1. In drama, four part thriller The Victim is due for transmission on BBC One, and STV Productions has also confirmed a second BBC commission - 90 minute drama Elizabeth is Missing.

STV content is available across platforms including iOS, Android, YouView and Samsung Smart TV.

About Sky

With 23 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe's leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group.

We have 31,000 colleagues and together we want to connect our customers to more of what they love, including our award-winning original productions, like Patrick Melrose and Save Me, and great shows from our partners including HBO, Showtime and Warner Bros. And our ever-improving technology makes it even easier for customers to watch more of the shows they love with personalised recommendations and voice control and, our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract free service.

We treat our customers better than anyone else in our field, as Ofcom's complaints data shows, and we look after our staff too. Sky is one of The Times Top 50 employers for women and we're in Stonewall's list of Top 50 LGBT-Inclusive employers.

We also use our position as the leading entertainment business in Europe to do the right thing. As part of Sky Ocean Rescue campaign we're committing to be completely single-use plastic free by 2020, we're investing £25million over five years in ocean-saving tech and we're supporting the WWF to protect our oceans with designated Marine Protected Areas.

 

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