21 February 2013
Modern Times Group has signed a multi-year agreement with BSkyB (‘Sky’) to distribute the Sky Sports News HD channel on MTG’s Viasat satellite platforms. The Group will include the channel in its Nordic offerings on an exclusive basis from the end of February 2013, and add it to the Baltic platforms later in year. The exclusive agreement also enables MTG to include Sky Sports programming content on its Nordic and Baltic TV channels, as well as on its Viaplay online pay-TV service across the Nordic countries.
Sky Sports News is Sky’s 24 hour a day sports news channel, and is predominantly focused on European football news and the Barclays English Premier League in particular. The channel also provides English language news and feature coverage of a wide range of other sports from around the world.
MTG will distribute the Sky Sport News HD channel on its Viasat satellite pay-TV platforms, as well as in its channel packages on third party cable TV and IPTV networks, in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. MTG also has the rights to include selected Sky Sports premium programming content each day on its TV channels and on Viaplay, including content from popular shows like Soccer AM, Soccer Saturday and Deadline Day.
Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “This is fantastic news for sports fans who already enjoy our world class and market leading offering of local and international sports coverage. Subscribers to our platforms and channels will now have access to even more of the latest breaking news and expert views from the best known sports stars, personalities and commentators. Sports news is a global headline grabbing phenomenon, and Sky Sports is a strong brand that consistently delivers high quality content. It is great that our viewers will now have access in and out of their homes to even more of the very best sports entertainment.”
Rob Webster, Commercial Group Director, BSkyB, said: “The demand for high quality sports news has never been greater and we’re delighted to be working with MTG to bring the full Sky Sports News channel to an international audience for the first time. For sports fans, there’s no better place for around-the-clock breaking news, expert commentary and interviews than Sky Sports News. We’re thrilled to be developing the channel’s distribution in Europe and are looking forward to sharing all of the action with MTG’s customers.”
