Hearst Networks UK has strengthened its partnership with Sky with a long-term, comprehensive extension of its distribution agreement for the UK and Ireland.
Hearst Networks UK’s portfolio of factual entertainment channels, including Sky HISTORY, Sky HISTORY2, Crime+Investigation, and BLAZE, will continue to be shown across Sky and NOW platforms in the UK and Ireland. The deal includes linear channel distribution, video on demand, and an extension of the media sales relationship with Sky Media, Sky’s advertising arm. Sky Media will exclusively represent Hearst Networks’ advertising sales, including linear, video-on-demand, AdSmart, and sponsorship advertising.
Hearst Networks UK and Sky launched the co-branded channel Sky HISTORY in 2020. The cooperation with Sky has resulted in the co-production of Sky HISTORY shows including Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors, The Royal Kill List, and Gunpowder Siege. Sky HISTORY has also seen success with the US hit show The Curse of Oak Island – currently in its 12th season – as well as several local commissions including Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain and Royal Autopsy.
Crime+Investigation shows include The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Body In The Suitcase, Murders at Little Bridge Farm, and Crimes That Shook Britain, as well as short-form series Cut to the Crime and Unbreakable.
“We are delighted to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Sky,” said Dean Possenniskie, Managing Director, UK & EMEA at Hearst Networks. “We value Sky’s continued investment in our brands, and we are excited to build on the outstanding success of Sky HISTORY while growing the prominence of Crime+Investigation on Sky.
Jon Simkin, MD Content Partnerships at Sky, said: “We’re thrilled to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Hearst Networks, continuing to sell their advertising and deliver their distinctive content to our customers. Hearst Networks’ market-leading history and true-crime shows perfectly complement our unrivalled entertainment portfolio, which includes Sky Originals like Day of the Jackal, the best of the US on Sky Atlantic, Netflix, Discovery+, and much more.”
Hearst Networks UK is a joint venture between Hearst and Sky. Hearst Networks EMEA is comprised of four companies: Hearst Networks UK, a long-standing joint venture with Sky operating across the UK, Nordics, Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; Hearst Networks Germany, Hearst Networks Italia, and COSMO Spain, each of which is wholly owned by Hearst.
Staff Reporter
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