Sky & Viacom Agree 5 Year Pay TV Extension, Sky Media To Sell C5 Advertising – TVWise

Sky and Viacom International Media Networks are expanding their relationship. The two companies have agreed a new deal which will ensure carriage of VIMN’s pay TV channels – Comedy Central UK, MTV UK Nickelodeon and VH1 – on Sky’s platform for the next five years.
The extension ensures that a wealth of exclusive series carried by those VIMN owned channels – including US acquisitions Mike & Molly, The Middle, Broad City and Awkward; and local commissions such as I Live With Models, Brotherhood and the upcoming MTV UK original Team Panache – will continue to be made available in all Sky homes
In addition to the Pay TV element of the deal, Sky Media – Sky’s advertising sales operation – will begin selling ad inventory for Channel5 and digi-nets 5* and 5USA, taking over from C5’s in-house sales team. That element of the deal comes into effect next month, when Sky Media will be responsible for selling advertising for all of Viacom’s UK channels going forward.
“The extension of our partnership with Viacom is great news for Sky customers as well as advertisers”, said Andrew Griffith, Chief Financial Officer and MD of Commercial Businesses for Sky. “The addition of Channel 5 will further strengthen Sky Media’s extensive channel portfolio. Advertisers will now have access to an even broader range of opportunities to reach customers using Sky Media’s creativity and innovation.”
“Sky is a highly-valued partner for Viacom and we’re delighted to extend our relationship for the benefit of our viewers and advertisers”, added David Lynn, President of VIMN UK. “We’re convinced Viacom’s interests are best served by a single point of advertising sales in the UK and Ireland and that Sky Media, with its strong track record of selling our pay TV channels and its innovative approach to improving the targeting and effectiveness of TV advertising, is best placed to provide it.”