SKY NZ Becomes Home to DC Series

SKY in New Zealand has clinched an exclusive first-run content deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.

The agreement will see new seasons of The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, plus Shameless (U.S. version) and Supernatural, move from TVNZ to SKY. These series will premiere across a number of linear channels in addition to being available for catch-up on SKY GO and SKY On Demand. New seasons will also be available to all New Zealanders who subscribe to the streaming service NEON. Earlier seasons of these titles will also be available for customers to view on SKY On Demand and NEON.

As part of the content deal, new seasons of Arrow will also be available exclusively to SKY customers who will be able to view on both SKY and SKY On Demand.

“We are extremely excited to become the home of DC series,” said Lisa Clements, SKY’s head of acquisitions for entertainment and movies. “We know the New Zealand DC fans are passionate about these shows, so we have worked hard with Warner Bros and TVNZ to secure them a long-term home that is accessible to all Kiwis, whether SKY customers or not. We know that more and more viewers are demanding a flexible, digital method of viewing series like these, and making them available via streaming on NEON and On Demand for SKY customers means we can provide the quickest access to these titles as they play in the U.S.A.”

Karen Bieleski, the head of entertainment content at SKY, said: “The DC and CW series content is a great fit with our various SKY channels and we are delighted we could make this arrangement work so well with our colleagues at TVNZ and Warner Bros.

“Shameless U.S. will be fast-tracked to SoHo in November, preceded by a Shameless U.S. pop-up covering all previous seasons and available to all basic tier SKY customers.

“As well as fast-tracking The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and Supernatural via NEON and our On Demand services, we have some exciting plans on the linear side of our business for marathon and pop-up special events showcasing these titles from the very beginning. The new series will all screen on our basic tier channel The BOX from early in the New Year, providing an uninterrupted run by avoiding the seasonal American hiatuses.”

“We see this deal as extremely beneficial for all—especially for viewers in New Zealand,” said Jeffrey Schlesinger, the president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. “Now viewers will have greater access and choice to enjoy these great series across a number of platforms. We look forward to working with SKY and TVNZ to market these series across their services.”