ITV to launch pay TV channel on Sky

ITV has announced that it will be launching its first new channel in eight years, ITV Encore – a pay channel dedicated to the broadcaster’s British drama.

Available on Sky’s platforms, the channel forms part of a wider four year partnership with Sky and is to become ITV’s biggest partnership with a platform operator.

ITV Encore will be home to some of ITV’s most successful drama series and from 2015, will begin screening original commissions with the ITV hallmark.

“A key part of our strategy is to become the most watched, most loved and most talked about family of free and pay channels for every household and every advertiser in the UK,” said Adam Crozier, ITV’s chief executive.

“The time is absolutely right to build on our successful partnership with Sky with the launch of ITV Encore, which will be an important part of ITV’s family of channels […] ITV Encore is right in line with our strategy of growing non-advertising revenues while at the same time creating even greater opportunities to showcase new drama.”

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s chief executive, said that the wider availability of ITV programmes on the platform’s connected TV services will make Sky “stand out as a great place to enjoy ITV, on multiple devices, both at home and on the go.

“This is good news for Sky customers and a positive way for us to work with ITV in a broad, mutually beneficial partnership,” Darroch added.