Sky has announced “world first” plans to bring together several streaming platforms as part a single TV subscription.
Viewers will soon be able to watch Disney+, Netflix, Hayu and HBO Max alongside Sky’s own original shows and exclusives as part of a new entertainment offering.
The deal, which Sky says is the best value in the market, means the platforms will be available together as part of the broadcaster’s Ultimate TV package from £24 a month.
HBO Max, coming to the UK and Ireland in March, will air the upcoming and much-anticipated Harry Potter series when it is released, and will also be the new streaming home for Friends.
It also brings medical drama The Pitt – long awaited outside the US following Emmy and Golden Globe wins – to the UK and Ireland for the first time.
Hayu, billed as “the home of reality TV”, offers The Real Housewives back catalogue as well as British shows such as Made In Chelsea and The Only Way Is Essex.
The two streamers join Disney+, which includes film franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel, and the hit series Rivals, as well as Netflix – home to shows including Stranger Things, Black Mirror and Adolescence – in being offered as part of a Sky subscription.
The service will begin in March, with Hayu available from July.
Sky, the owner of Sky News, is home to shows including Brassic and A League Of Their Own, and is also due to launch the first UK version of hit US comedy show Saturday Night Live in March.
With viewers preferring to access their favourite shows and films in one place, the announcement gives Sky an appealing offering amid increasing competition from streamers.
Bosses say the deal marks “a new era” for the broadcaster and its own streaming service, NOW.
“In a world-first, we’re bringing together Sky, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu into a single Sky TV subscription,” said Sophia Ahmad, Sky’s chief consumer officer.
“Nowhere else offers this breadth of incredible entertainment in a fully integrated experience, with everything customers love watching side by side so viewers can jump from show to show with ease.”
Arts and entertainment correspondent
They say traditional TV is dying – but has Sky just come up with a way to fight back?
When it comes to bringing entertainment into our living rooms, the broadcaster is known as the home for shows such as The Day Of The Jackal, Brassic and a League Of Their Own – but there’s no getting away from the fact that traditional telly is in the midst of a bit of an existential crisis.
The rise of social platforms and streamers means broadcasters have to fight harder and harder for audience attention – and with eyeballs elsewhere, it’s a battle that linear TV has been losing. In this digital, internet-driven, highly competitive market, Sky has needed to reinvent itself.
So now, rather than solely attempting to take the streamers on, it has announced an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach – bringing together some of the world’s biggest streaming platforms under a single TV subscription from next month.
So the USP is: cut out the faff of multiple payments and bundle those third-party streaming services into one flat fee. As the ad market has shifted to online tech platforms such as Google and Meta, squeezing Sky’s business, it really has needed to do something big. And this is big – essentially a real shift to becoming more of a content aggregator.
Bosses say the deal marks “a new era” for the broadcaster. It’s a simple idea. The question now is: will it pay off?
Millions of existing customers with Sky Q, Sky Stream or Sky Glass subscriptions will get “easy access” to the new line-up as standard, she added.
“We’re proud to continue Sky’s legacy of innovation, making it easier than ever for people to enjoy the very best entertainment and best experience, all in one place.”
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Sky plus the HBO Max Basic subscription with adverts, Disney+ Standard with adverts, Hayu, and Netflix Standard with adverts will be available together for new customers as part of Sky Ultimate TV from £24 a month, Sky has said, while existing customers will get access as part of their Sky TV subscription.
