BBC First to Launch on Sky NZ Platforms

Sky New Zealand and BBC Studios have expanded their partnership to include the launch of BBC First across Sky, Neon and the free-to-air channel Sky Open.

BBC First will join the Sky channel lineup from October 2024, bringing a host of U.K. dramas to Sky customers in New Zealand. Among the titles coming to Sky NZ audiences are the detective thriller The Jetty, starring Jenna Coleman; Return to Paradise, the Australian spin-off of Death in Paradise; and the second season of Beyond Paradise, starring Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton.

BBC First joins BBC UKTV, BBC Earth and CBeebies alongside the BBC News channel.

Sophie Moloney, chief executive at Sky, said: “I’m delighted Sky customers will enjoy an expanded array of world-class British content through our renewed partnership with BBC Studios. We value what our customers value, and with UKTV being Sky’s number one entertainment channel with consistently high and growing viewership, we’re confident in the value this represents for customers. The renewed partnership also offers exclusive access to premium British drama on BBC First, which is a hugely exciting development. Importantly, these rights extend across our portfolio of entertainment products, meaning our customers can enjoy great British content in whatever way they choose.”

Fiona Lang, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand general manager, said: “We are delighted to grow our long-standing partnership with Sky with the addition of this stellar channel. New Zealand audiences have proven to have a huge appetite for British shows, and we’re pleased to be able to partner with Sky to offer their customers more of what they want—the full suite of the best of the BBC, from kids to entertainment, news, documentaries and drama.”