Sky Ramps Up Arts Programming

LONDON, August 19: Sky in
the U.K. is launching a new arts channel this October focusing on opera,
classical music, fine art programming and dance performances.

As of October 20, the
British satellite platform will deliver three arts channels, Sky Arts 1, 2 and
HD, broadcasting arts content 36 hours a day. Sky Arts 1 will broadcast more
contemporary and cult programming, such as live rock concerts, documentaries
and the celebrity hijack
series. Sky Arts 2 will be the home of Sky Arts’ more classical art content,
and Sky Arts HD will broadcast content from both services.

Sophie Turner Laing, Sky’s
managing director of entertainment, said: “Arts is integral to the Sky platform
and we now have the wealth and breadth of diverse arts content to warrant two
dedicated arts channels. At a time when other broadcasters’ commitment to the
arts is open to question, we firmly believe in giving our customers the best
choice, all delivered in the highest possibly quality, HD. This is further
evidence of our commitment to invest in the content that people love and
demonstrates how pay TV can meet viewers’ individual needs.”

Upcoming highlights on Sky
Arts 1 include commissions like Suggs’ Italian Job, Art Rocks and The Book Show.
Sky Arts 1 will also introduce a number of regular strands like Centre Stage for live music, Backstory for docs and Icons, featuring interviews with and documentaries about
Sky Arts’ cultural icons.

Sky Arts 2 promises to
deliver a classical music, dance or opera performance at 8 p.m. each night. The
slate includes Metropolitan Operas,
Vanessa-Mae’s Classical Top Ten,
The Forgotten Painter—Edward Seago and Brian Sewell’s acclaimed series The Naked Pilgrim.

—By Mansha Daswani