TVREAL
Hearst Networks UK has strengthened its partnership with Sky with a long-term extension of its distribution agreement for the U.K. and Ireland.
Hearst Networks UK’s portfolio of factual entertainment channels, including Sky HISTORY, Sky HISTORY2, Crime+Investigation and BLAZE, will continue to be available across Sky and NOW platforms in the U.K. and Ireland. The new deal includes linear channel distribution, video-on-demand and an extension of the media sales relationship with Sky Media.
Sky Media will exclusively represent Hearst Networks’ advertising sales, including linear, video-on-demand, AdSmart and sponsorship advertising.
The partnership with Sky has resulted in the co-branded channel Sky HISTORY and the co-production of shows such as Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors, The Royal Kill List and Gunpowder Siege. Sky HISTORY has also seen success with the U.S. hit show The Curse of Oak Island—currently in its 12th season—as well as several high-profile local commissions, including Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain and Royal Autopsy.
Crime+Investigation features programs such as The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Body in the Suitcase, Murders at Little Bridge Farm and Crimes That Shook Britain, as well as the short-form series Cut to the Crime and Unbreakable.
“We are delighted to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Sky,” said Dean Possenniskie, managing director for the U.K. and EMEA at Hearst Networks. “We value Sky’s continued investment in our brands, and we are excited to build on the outstanding success of Sky HISTORY while growing the prominence of Crime+Investigation on Sky.”
Jon Simkin, managing director of content partnerships at Sky, added, “We’re thrilled to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Hearst Networks, continuing to sell their advertising and deliver their distinctive content to our customers. Hearst Networks’ market-leading history and true-crime shows perfectly complement our unrivaled entertainment portfolio, which includes Sky Originals like Day of the Jackal [and] the best of the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, Netflix, Discovery+ and much more.”
