Sky and UKTV have announced a multi-year extension to their long-standing partnership, securing carriage for UKTV’s pay channels, Alibi and Gold, across Sky platforms in the UK and Ireland.
The deal sees UKTV’s streaming service U, formerly UKTV Play, launch on Sky Glass and Sky Stream devices in the UK. This is the first time the U app has been made available to Sky customers and “marks the latest evolution of a highly successful and longstanding partnership between UKTV and Sky.”
The launch follows the transition of the streaming service to U, from UKTV Play in July, as part of the new U Masterbrand uniting UKTV’s streaming service and free-to-air linear channels.
UKTV’s free-to-air channels U&Dave, U&W, U&DRAMA and U&YESTERDAY will also continue to be available for Sky customers to enjoy for the duration of the deal, as will Eden which joins UKTV’s free-to-air portfolio as U&Eden in the coming weeks.
Jon Simkin, Managing Director, Content Partnerships, Sky, commented: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with UKTV. UKTV’s distinctive content across channels such as Alibi and Gold is loved by Sky customers. This agreement reinforces our commitment to providing the best entertainment experience to our customers across the UK and Ireland.”
Sam Tewungwa, Managing Director, UKTV, said: “We’ve enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Sky over a number of years and we are delighted to be extending our partnership so that Sky customers can continue to enjoy the rich mix of content that UKTV has to offer.”
U users now have access to nearly 8,500 hours of content, an uplift of almost 1,500 hours from the start of 2024. Drama has been a key driver of growth for the service with shows such as Whitstable Pearl, Sons of Anarchy, Signora Volpe, Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Sister Boniface Mysteries, Brothers & Sisters, The Brokenwood Mysteries, Madame Secretary and The Marlow Murder Club all featuring in the top 20 highest rating episodes on the service.
Jon Creamer
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