Sky Scoops Artsworld To Bolster Portfolio
BSkyB has signed a deal to become the sole owner of Artsworld, the UK’s only dedicated arts and culture channel, in a move which will make the channel available to the broadcaster’s seven million subscribers from September.
Since its launch on December 2000 Artsworld has been available to Sky customers for an additional subscription fee of £6.00 per month. However, Sky’s acquisition of the channel will mean that all customers with the company’s Family Pack of channels will automatically receive the Artsworld at no extra cost.
Artsworld broadcasts daily from 2pm to midnight, offering a varied schedule of performances, profiles and documentaries on the visual arts, music, dance, drama, film, opera and literature. Every month, Artsworld viewers can enjoy seven full-length operas, 10 hours of dance and drama and 60 hours of classical performance.
Highlights from this month include a documentary portrait of sculptor Henry Moore, a celebration of some of the 20th century’s finest conductors and tributes to American singing stars Johnny Cash and James Brown.
The acquisition forms part of BSkyB’s long-term growth strategy, with plans for more targeted marketing and “continued investment in high-quality programming”. The company’s high-profile “What do you want to watch?” advertising campaign, launched last year, forms part of that strategy, which aims to encourage consumers to reappraise the range of content available from pay television (see Sky Targets Digital Refuseniks With Cross-Media Campaign).
Commenting on the acquisition, Dawn Airey, managing director of Sky Networks, said: “Artsworld occupies a unique space in television broadcasting and is valued enormously by a loyal and discerning audience. Its success is a tribute to Artsworld’s founders, who had the vision to launch a dedicated arts channel at a time when other broadcasters were scaling back their commitment in this area. Artsworld’s distinctive schedule will enrich Sky’s channel packages and support our drive to bring a wider choice of viewing to even more customers.”
John Cassy, channel manager of Artsworld, added: “It is great news for the arts that a dedicated cultural channel will be available to millions of households. Artsworld will remain as committed as ever to diverse and high-quality programming and we look forward to reaching an even wider audience from September.”
Yesterday saw Sky announce that it would allow customers to download movie and sports content via the internet with a new product which moves the company into direct competition with London-based HomeChoice and the fledgling on-demand services of the nation’s cable companies (see Sky To Provide Content Via Internet Downloads).
The new service is likely to build on the company’s current Sky-By-Wire brand, currently employed to provide Sky’s sports and movie channels to HomeChoice customers via their broadband connection (see Sky Boosts Audience Reach With HomeChoice Deal).
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