Sky and BBC partner on tech and content

Sky and the BBC have announced a new partnership which will see the two UK broadcasters collaborate on content and technology.

The partnership means the BBC iPlayer OTT platform will be made available on the Sky Q service, giving Sky customers access to both iPlayer and the BBC’s red-button options.

The BBC already offers its channels and services on through an integrated on-demand service available on Sky Q and Sky+, but the new agreement will see an iPlayer app added to Sky Q.

The agreement also sees a number of CBBC – the British broadcaster’s children’s service – boxsets made available through Sky Q’s boxsets collection, including The Dumping Ground, The Worst Witch and Topsy & Tim.

BBC group managing director Bob Shennan said: “We’re thrilled that viewers who watch our programmes on Sky will now be able to enjoy the full BBC iPlayer experience and to access our full red-button service. BBC iPlayer is a fantastic way to watch the incredible breadth of programmes the BBC offers, including fantastic full series, terrific archive content, brilliant new dramas like His Dark Materials, landmark natural history programmes like Seven Worlds, One Planet and hilarious comedies like Motherland.”

The agreement goes beyond content, with the BBC “in early-stage exploration” of options to use PromoSmart, a platform underpinned by Sky’s targeting technology AdSmart, to offer more personalised promotional content to BBC viewers.

It would look to use the platform to offer different trailers for its content to different households depending on their interests. The BBC is looking at how to use this during breaks between programmes when watching BBC channels live.

• Read more: BritBox launches in the UK with C4 deal

Shennan added: “We’re also very much looking forward to experimenting with PromoSmart in the future. This agreement shows how the BBC and Sky can work together to give audiences the very best experience and support a strong UK media industry, and we look forward to continuing this relationship.”

In a statement to the press, Sky said the two broadcasters are also exploring a number of other ways they can work together, including the possibility of making BBC Sounds available on Sky and NOW TV.

Stephen van Rooyen, CEO UK & Ireland, Sky, said: “We are pleased to be working with the BBC on such a broad-ranging partnership – it is a great example of how UK broadcasters can work together for the benefit of viewers and the industry. We are continuing to explore, together with the BBC, how it could use Sky’s innovative technology to help it better connect with licence-fee payers for the long-term.“

Sky has announced a number of new partnerships recently. Last month, the broadcaster trialled live streaming news on Amazon’s Twitch platform, while it also agreed to extend its content deal with HBO.

• Read more: HBO and Sky strike new EU programming deal