Sky & NBCUniversal Renew Pact

Sky and NBCUniversal have extended their long-standing partnership involving Sky Cinema and the NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) suite of channel brands.

Sky customers in the U.K. and Ireland will be able to enjoy a range of NBCUIN’s channels, including Universal Channel, Syfy and E! Entertainment and Movies 24, while customers in Germany and Austria will have access to Universal Channel, Syfy and E! Entertainment and 13th STREET. In addition, Syfy and NBCU International’s all-reality service hayu will launch in 2018 on NOW TV, Sky’s streaming subscription service in the U.K. In Germany, Syfy will launch on Sky Ticket in 2019.

The agreements cover tent-pole, first-run movies like the Jurassic, Despicable Me, Minions and Fast & Furious franchises. It also includes a range of films from Working Title and Focus Features alongside numerous titles from NBCUniversal’s movie library. The partnership boasts a comprehensive EST and TVOD agreement for Sky Store across those territories.

Gary Davey, the managing director of content at Sky, said: “It’s been a very successful year for rights negotiations and we are very pleased to have secured this long-term deal for our customers. Our focus remains on providing our customers with content of the highest quality and NBCUniversal’s movies, television programming and channel brands are globally renowned. Our partners’ trust in Sky as the custodian of their brands and content enables us to not only establish but extend, these long-term relationships and we look forward to continuing to work with NBCUniversal International.”

Belinda Menendez, the president of NBCUniversal International Distribution and Networks, said: “NBCUniversal International’s latest agreements with Sky, covering the U.K., Ireland, Germany and Austria, kick off the next exciting phase of our highly valued relationship. We are delighted that Sky’s customers can continue to anticipate premieres of NBCU’s top-quality feature film slate—including via EST and TVOD—as well as having access to our suite of compelling channel brands, through our multiyear renewed relationship. In the U.K., we are also pleased to soon be bringing both hayu, our all-reality service, and Syfy to NOW TV customers.”