Sky’s Pub Channel To Offer Promotional Advertising

Sky Digital’s Pub Channel, planning to launch later this year, is currently in discussions with advertisers to offer in-pub promotions that link-up with the channel’s content. One of these ideas is to offer scratchcards to pub customers which will promote new drinks and brands.

Around 40,000 UK pubs (56%) currently subscribe to BSkyB in order to show football matches and other sporting events. Sky’s commercial marketing director, Iain Holden, says that the Pub Channel would offer both entertainment to customers, wrapping around Sky’s existing output, as well as a business to business element for landlords and retailers to take advantage of.

Holden described the promotional opportunities available to advertisers as ‘creating hooks’, enticing people to stay and become involved in the channel’s output: “more akin to direct marketing, than normal advertising,” according to Holden. The response from advertisers to these ideas has apparently been very positive so far.

The channel will be available on digital only, and is an example of the niche capabilities which digital TV is giving rise to.

BSkyB: 0171 705 3000